The Article in full if you didn't see it....Say the name, Simon Anderson, and you’re most likely to have tapped into a runningSay the name, Simon Anderson, and you’re most likely to have tapped into a running debate in the Isleworth community. "I think it’s safe to say that some people like me, and other people really don’t," he says with a grin. "It’s because I’m the sort of person who’ll say whatever I’ve got to say, no matter who or what’s involved." "That’s why," he adds jokingly, "I’ve got my eye out all the time for snipers and people with dogs." A campaigner to improve the area since moving from Plymouth to Isleworth in 1997, Simon has a long-running - and some would say controversial - relationship with various organisations looking after residents’ needs including the New Ivybridge Tenants Association (NITA) and the council’s housing operation, Hounslow Homes. He says: "I started getting involved in community affairs in 1998 after my ex-wife joined a residents association on the estate. I went along with her and ended up getting a taste for it as well. Suddenly I was out doing stuff all the time and raising my hands to go to all the meetings. Basically I would be on the estate checking things light street lights when I really should have been at home - it turned into an addiction." Simon took up the position of secretary at NITA, where his role involved dealing with everything from residents’ issues to the battle with Thames Water to tackle the Mogden sewage smell, but over time the relationship soured and ended with him resigning from the association. "There was a lot of back-stabbing I felt," he said, "And for me NITA was becoming too Labour orientated. I left the association because I didn’t agree with the way it was being run. What I’ve always wanted is a residents’ association that is made up to help residents, without bringing in politics." "When we first moved to the Ivybridge estate things were very bad. There were lots of drug problems and someone was even stabbed on the estate all to do with drugs. While I was working in NITA things cleared up quite a lot, but over the last few years it’s been getting worse, and the estate now looks really rough again." After leaving NITA Simon joined monitoring group, Ivytag, to help deal with problems on the Ivybridge estate, and ended up taking over as the chair of the group at the beginning of the year. Since then the group has set up a website and a forum for residents to air their issues and comments, and has carried out a number of campaigns including the latest plan for a skateboarding area to be set up on the estate. He says: "Ivytag needed some new blood and they asked me to take over. Residents are fed up of the politics of what’s going on here. They just want to get things back in order on the estate, and the biggest problem is with the youth. They are my inspiration. kids are the ones who are most affected by the problems on the estate because they commit crimes out of boredom. The youth have nothing to do in the area so they are hanging around causing trouble. Residents keep bringing up that there’s nothing on the estate for the youths - even the kids have come up to me asking for a skate-boarding are because they’re bored. So we’re looking at getting a petition set up soon because skate boarding is very popular. It will give them something to do on the estate, and also it will put them all in one place where they can be kept an eye on. If we had something for the kids I don’t think there would be the problems we have now." Simon’s relentless campaigning recently even peaked the interest of the BBC, which cornered him for a televised tour of a nearby park littered with dog faeces. "That was funny," he recalls. "I was on the bus going up to London and got the phone call from the BBC about a campaign I led against dog poo in the park. I didn’t realise it was going to be a television crew though, for some reason thought the interview was a radio thing. Because I didn’t want to be on television - I don’t think I come across properly." Dog poo aside though, Simon’s campaign work took on a much more personal note last year, when his nine-year-old step-daughter, Shivon, was diagnosed with Leukaemia. "When Shivon was diagnosed last November it was a major shock," he recalls. "You never think it’s gong to happen to one of your children. My ex-wife called me one day to say that Shivon had been sent to hospital from school and there was this big lump sticking out of the top of her head. Loads of tests were done and the doctor told us she had Leukaemia. From then on we were in and out of hospital - sometimes I would stay with her over night, and sometimes my ex-wife would." It was while spending time in Great Ormond Street Hospital with his daughter that Simon first got the idea to raise money for toys and entertainment for the children’s ward. "Shivon has been the inspiration for all the charity work I’ve done," he says. "I also have a 14-year-old daughter who has a heart problem, and I guess I just wanted to give something back. Shivon’s illness has affected the whole family badly, and she just wants to get better for us. When we told here she had Leukaemia she didn’t care about the cancer, her biggest worry was that she was going to lose her hair. That’s when I got the idea to shave my head for charity. I used to love my hair - everyone who knows me knows that. I was paranoid about it, and wouldn’t even let people touch my hair, it was my baby. I decided to shave it off to show her how much she meant to me, and so that she would know there’s nothing wrong with having no hair." Shaving his head was Simon’s first step towards raising money for Great Ormond Street Hospital’s children’s ward, and since then he’s been collecting toys for both that hospital and West Middlesex Hospital’s Starlight ward. His latest venture - a parachute jump to raise more money for Great Ormond Street - will be taking place at the end of the month. "I’m petrified of doing it, I really am," he says, " and I’m not looking forward to it at all. But I’ve raised £1500 for it so far, and the money will buy more equipment for the children’s ward. The way I see it, if I can help in that way its great. I want to give the kids something back like a television of a playstation to make their stay more enjoyable. And it’s not only for them, it’s for the parents as well. The hospital did a great job looking after my daughter, so this is my way of saying thank you." He says: "There are no Leukaemia cells in Shivon’s body at the moment so everything seems clear for now, but I still worry that one day she’ll not be there. I know it’s negative thinking but children do die from Leukaemia. When she stays with me on weekends I often check at in on her at night to see if she’s breathing - I’m just paranoid that I’ll wake up and she’ll be gone." Simon admits that his daughter’s diagnosis has given him a new perspective on a number of issues including the relationship between Ivytag, NITA, and Hounslow Homes. He says: "Shivon’s illness made me realise that it was time to bury the hatchet. I’d like to see Ivytag recognised by Hounslow Homes and for there to be open communication between all of our groups because residents could only benefit." "I’d love to be an estate manager on the Ivybridge estate," he adds. "Residents have the right to enjoy their estate, and I would give them what they want. I wouldn’t care how much it cost, I’d just give it to them." Simon’s parachute jump will take place on Thursday October 27. Say the name, Simon Anderson, and you’re most likely to have tapped into a running debate in the Isleworth community. "I think it’s safe to say that some people like me, and other people really don’t," he says with a grin. "It’s because I’m the sort of person who’ll say whatever I’ve got to say, no matter who or what’s involved." "That’s why," he adds jokingly, "I’ve got my eye out all the time for snipers and people with dogs." A campaigner to improve the area since moving from Plymouth to Isleworth in 1997, Simon has a long-running - and some would say controversial - relationship with various organisations looking after residents’ needs including the New Ivybridge Tenants Association (NITA) and the council’s housing operation, Hounslow Homes. He says: "I started getting involved in community affairs in 1998 after my ex-wife joined a residents association on the estate. I went along with her and ended up getting a taste for it as well. Suddenly I was out doing stuff all the time and raising my hands to go to all the meetings. Basically I would be on the estate checking things light street lights when I really should have been at home - it turned into an addiction." Simon took up the position of secretary at NITA, where his role involved dealing with everything from residents’ issues to the battle with Thames Water to tackle the Mogden sewage smell, but over time the relationship soured and ended with him resigning from the association. "There was a lot of back-stabbing I felt," he said, "And for me NITA was becoming too Labour orientated. I left the association because I didn’t agree with the way it was being run. What I’ve always wanted is a residents’ association that is made up to help residents, without bringing in politics." "When we first moved to the Ivybridge estate things were very bad. There were lots of drug problems and someone was even stabbed on the estate all to do with drugs. While I was working in NITA things cleared up quite a lot, but over the last few years it’s been getting worse, and the estate now looks really rough again." After leaving NITA Simon joined monitoring group, Ivytag, to help deal with problems on the Ivybridge estate, and ended up taking over as the chair of the group at the beginning of the year. Since then the group has set up a website and a forum for residents to air their issues and comments, and has carried out a number of campaigns including the latest plan for a skateboarding area to be set up on the estate. He says: "Ivytag needed some new blood and they asked me to take over. Residents are fed up of the politics of what’s going on here. They just want to get things back in order on the estate, and the biggest problem is with the youth. They are my inspiration. kids are the ones who are most affected by the problems on the estate because they commit crimes out of boredom. The youth have nothing to do in the area so they are hanging around causing trouble. Residents keep bringing up that there’s nothing on the estate for the youths - even the kids have come up to me asking for a skate-boarding are because they’re bored. So we’re looking at getting a petition set up soon because skate boarding is very popular. It will give them something to do on the estate, and also it will put them all in one place where they can be kept an eye on. If we had something for the kids I don’t think there would be the problems we have now." Simon’s relentless campaigning recently even peaked the interest of the BBC, which cornered him for a televised tour of a nearby park littered with dog faeces. "That was funny," he recalls. "I was on the bus going up to London and got the phone call from the BBC about a campaign I led against dog poo in the park. I didn’t realise it was going to be a television crew though, for some reason thought the interview was a radio thing. Because I didn’t want to be on television - I don’t think I come across properly." Dog poo aside though, Simon’s campaign work took on a much more personal note last year, when his nine-year-old step-daughter, Shivon, was diagnosed with Leukaemia. "When Shivon was diagnosed last November it was a major shock," he recalls. "You never think it’s gong to happen to one of your children. My ex-wife called me one day to say that Shivon had been sent to hospital from school and there was this big lump sticking out of the top of her head. Loads of tests were done and the doctor told us she had Leukaemia. From then on we were in and out of hospital - sometimes I would stay with her over night, and sometimes my ex-wife would." It was while spending time in Great Ormond Street Hospital with his daughter that Simon first got the idea to raise money for toys and entertainment for the children’s ward. "Shivon has been the inspiration for all the charity work I’ve done," he says. "I also have a 14-year-old daughter who has a heart problem, and I guess I just wanted to give something back. Shivon’s illness has affected the whole family badly, and she just wants to get better for us. When we told here she had Leukaemia she didn’t care about the cancer, her biggest worry was that she was going to lose her hair. That’s when I got the idea to shave my head for charity. I used to love my hair - everyone who knows me knows that. I was paranoid about it, and wouldn’t even let people touch my hair, it was my baby. I decided to shave it off to show her how much she meant to me, and so that she would know there’s nothing wrong with having no hair." Shaving his head was Simon’s first step towards raising money for Great Ormond Street Hospital’s children’s ward, and since then he’s been collecting toys for both that hospital and West Middlesex Hospital’s Starlight ward. His latest venture - a parachute jump to raise more money for Great Ormond Street - will be taking place at the end of the month. "I’m petrified of doing it, I really am," he says, " and I’m not looking forward to it at all. But I’ve raised £1500 for it so far, and the money will buy more equipment for the children’s ward. The way I see it, if I can help in that way its great. I want to give the kids something back like a television of a playstation to make their stay more enjoyable. And it’s not only for them, it’s for the parents as well. The hospital did a great job looking after my daughter, so this is my way of saying thank you." He says: "There are no Leukaemia cells in Shivon’s body at the moment so everything seems clear for now, but I still worry that one day she’ll not be there. I know it’s negative thinking but children do die from Leukaemia. When she stays with me on weekends I often check at in on her at night to see if she’s breathing - I’m just paranoid that I’ll wake up and she’ll be gone." Simon admits that his daughter’s diagnosis has given him a new perspective on a number of issues including the relationship between Ivytag, NITA, and Hounslow Homes. He says: "Shivon’s illness made me realise that it was time to bury the hatchet. I’d like to see Ivytag recognised by Hounslow Homes and for there to be open communication between all of our groups because residents could only benefit." "I’d love to be an estate manager on the Ivybridge estate," he adds. "Residents have the right to enjoy their estate, and I would give them what they want. I wouldn’t care how much it cost, I’d just give it to them." Simon’s parachute jump will take place on Thursday October 27. To sponsor him call 07981 051 411. EndsTo sponsor him call 07981 051 411. Ends debate in the Isleworth community. "I think it’s safe to say that some people like me, and other people really don’t," he says with a grin. "It’s because I’m the sort of person who’ll say whatever I’ve got to say, no matter who or what’s involved." "That’s why," he adds jokingly, "I’ve got my eye out all the time for snipers and people with dogs." A campaigner to improve the area since moving from Plymouth to Isleworth in 1997, Simon has a long-running - and some would say controversial - relationship with various organisations looking after residents’ needs including the New Ivybridge Tenants Association (NITA) and the council’s housing operation, Hounslow Homes. He says: "I started getting involved in community affairs in 1998 after my ex-wife joined a residents association on the estate. I went along with her and ended up getting a taste for it as well. Suddenly I was out doing stuff all the time and raising my hands to go to all the meetings. Basically I would be on the estate checking things light street lights when I really should have been at home - it turned into an addiction." Simon took up the position of secretary at NITA, where his role involved dealing with everything from residents’ issues to the battle with Thames Water to tackle the Mogden sewage smell, but over time the relationship soured and ended with him resigning from the association. "There was a lot of back-stabbing I felt," he said, "And for me NITA was becoming too Labour orientated. I left the association because I didn’t agree with the way it was being run. What I’ve always wanted is a residents’ association that is made up to help residents, without bringing in politics." "When we first moved to the Ivybridge estate things were very bad. There were lots of drug problems and someone was even stabbed on the estate all to do with drugs. While I was working in NITA things cleared up quite a lot, but over the last few years it’s been getting worse, and the estate now looks really rough again." After leaving NITA Simon joined monitoring group, Ivytag, to help deal with problems on the Ivybridge estate, and ended up taking over as the chair of the group at the beginning of the year. Since then the group has set up a website and a forum for residents to air their issues and comments, and has carried out a number of campaigns including the latest plan for a skateboarding area to be set up on the estate. He says: "Ivytag needed some new blood and they asked me to take over. Residents are fed up of the politics of what’s going on here. They just want to get things back in order on the estate, and the biggest problem is with the youth. They are my inspiration. kids are the ones who are most affected by the problems on the estate because they commit crimes out of boredom. The youth have nothing to do in the area so they are hanging around causing trouble. Residents keep bringing up that there’s nothing on the estate for the youths - even the kids have come up to me asking for a skate-boarding are because they’re bored. So we’re looking at getting a petition set up soon because skate boarding is very popular. It will give them something to do on the estate, and also it will put them all in one place where they can be kept an eye on. If we had something for the kids I don’t think there would be the problems we have now." Simon’s relentless campaigning recently even peaked the interest of the BBC, which cornered him for a televised tour of a nearby park littered with dog faeces. "That was funny," he recalls. "I was on the bus going up to London and got the phone call from the BBC about a campaign I led against dog poo in the park. I didn’t realise it was going to be a television crew though, for some reason thought the interview was a radio thing. Because I didn’t want to be on television - I don’t think I come across properly." Dog poo aside though, Simon’s campaign work took on a much more personal note last year, when his nine-year-old step-daughter, Shivon, was diagnosed with Leukaemia. "When Shivon was diagnosed last November it was a major shock," he recalls. "You never think it’s gong to happen to one of your children. My ex-wife called me one day to say that Shivon had been sent to hospital from school and there was this big lump sticking out of the top of her head. Loads of tests were done and the doctor told us she had Leukaemia. From then on we were in and out of hospital - sometimes I would stay with her over night, and sometimes my ex-wife would." It was while spending time in Great Ormond Street Hospital with his daughter that Simon first got the idea to raise money for toys and entertainment for the children’s ward. "Shivon has been the inspiration for all the charity work I’ve done," he says. "I also have a 14-year-old daughter who has a heart problem, and I guess I just wanted to give something back. Shivon’s illness has affected the whole family badly, and she just wants to get better for us. When we told here she had Leukaemia she didn’t care about the cancer, her biggest worry was that she was going to lose her hair. That’s when I got the idea to shave my head for charity. I used to love my hair - everyone who knows me knows that. I was paranoid about it, and wouldn’t even let people touch my hair, it was my baby. I decided to shave it off to show her how much she meant to me, and so that she would know there’s nothing wrong with having no hair." Shaving his head was Simon’s first step towards raising money for Great Ormond Street Hospital’s children’s ward, and since then he’s been collecting toys for both that hospital and West Middlesex Hospital’s Starlight ward. His latest venture - a parachute jump to raise more money for Great Ormond Street - will be taking place at the end of the month. "I’m petrified of doing it, I really am," he says, " and I’m not looking forward to it at all. But I’ve raised £1500 for it so far, and the money will buy more equipment for the children’s ward. The way I see it, if I can help in that way its great. I want to give the kids something back like a television of a playstation to make their stay more enjoyable. And it’s not only for them, it’s for the parents as well. The hospital did a great job looking after my daughter, so this is my way of saying thank you." He says: "There are no Leukaemia cells in Shivon’s body at the moment so everything seems clear for now, but I still worry that one day she’ll not be there. I know it’s negative thinking but children do die from Leukaemia. When she stays with me on weekends I often check at in on her at night to see if she’s breathing - I’m just paranoid that I’ll wake up and she’ll be gone." Simon admits that his daughter’s diagnosis has given him a new perspective on a number of issues including the relationship between Ivytag, NITA, and Hounslow Homes. He says: "Shivon’s illness made me realise that it was time to bury the hatchet. I’d like to see Ivytag recognised by Hounslow Homes and for there to be open communication between all of our groups because residents could only benefit." "I’d love to be an estate manager on the Ivybridge estate," he adds. "Residents have the right to enjoy their estate, and I would give them what they want. I wouldn’t care how much it cost, I’d just give it to them." Simon’s parachute jump will take place on Thursday October 27. To sponsor him call 07981 051 411. Ends
Simon Anderson ● 7217d