ELBA TO WRITE CHILDREN’S BOOK
Hackney born actor Idris Elba has signed a multi-book deal with HarperCollins Children’s Books, launching in 2022.
No plot details have been announced for the books yet, but they will feature a world and characters created by Elba and writing partner Robyn Charteris. Both picture books and fiction will be published.
Elba said: “I feel privileged to have the opportunity to bring stories inspired by my daughter to life with my incredible partner Robyn Charteris and the powerhouse team at HarperCollins.” Ben Allenby
FOX CUBS RESCUED IN SHOREDITCH
Two tiny fox cubs have been rescued after being discovered at a Shoreditch construction site on City Road.
“These little cubs, just a few weeks old, were lucky they were found when they were,” said Shahnaz Ahmad, an inspector for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. “Growing up on a busy construction site is not the safest place for them. Sadly, there was no sign of their mum.”
The cubs were found by builders inside machinery and were quickly moved to safety before the animal welfare charity was called.
It is usually best to leave cubs where they are, since foxes reared by humans struggle to survive when released back into the wild, but the mother of these two cubs was believed to have either died or abandoned them. Tom Watling
AWARDS SHOW SNUB FOR HACKNEY ACTOR
It was not a night to remember for Hackney’s Paul Mescal at the Critics’ Choice Awards 2021, the US-based award ceremony for television and film.
The Normal People actor, who once matched with Hackney Post’s Bea Isaacson on dating app Hinge, was nominated for best actor in a limited series but narrowly lost out to John Boyega, who won the award for his performance in Small Axe.
Normal People’s Daisy Edgar-Jones was also nominated for best actress in a limited series but lost out to Anya Taylor-Joy for her performance in The Queen’s Gambit. Ben Allenby
MAN JAILED FOR SEXUALLY ASSAULTING WOMEN
A man has been jailed for four years and four months for sexual assault and a number of other charges.
Abdul Yusuf’s sentencing at Wood Green Crown Court relates to the sexual assault of three women: two in June 2020 while on the Route 76 bus in North London and one in July of 2020. He was also found guilty of two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, one count of common assault, one count of robbery and two counts of fraud.
After a three-day trial in January, Yusuf was found guilty unanimously by a jury. Connie Evans
E-BOOK OF COVID CONDOLENCES TO LAUNCH
An online book of condolences to remember family, friends and colleagues lost in the Covid-19 pandemic has been launched this week by the Hackney Council, ahead of the anniversary of the first lockdown next week.
There were 482 registered deaths in Hackney involving Covid-19 between 13th March 2020 and 26th February this year.
Councillor Kam Adams said: “The coronavirus pandemic has been a tragic and unprecedented time of loss for families and communities across Hackney.”
“This book of condolences is a chance for members of the community to remind us that, behind every fatality Hackney has suffered, there is a person with a story.”
Residents can fill out a form in which they can write a message to be uploaded online after review. The messages will be available to be read by residents on a condolences page that is still being made. Amarachi Orie
Make a submission at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSegJWtkBav4lB0Lt2LIS5QmCPQsUNOUSi9AHfnGYBKae18CEg/viewform.
