Aysha Gilmore

Journalist 

Social Media Editor at the Kingston Courier 

South London Journalist completing a MA in Journalism & NCTJ Diploma

Based in London and currently looking for work

Kingston Courier •

65 per cent of homeless Londoners in temporary accommodation are women – Kingston Courier

Almost two-thirds of homeless Londoners in temporary accommodation are women, in part due to an increase in domestic violence since 2020.

According to an analysis by London councils, 42,000 women are in temporary accommodation in London compared to 21,700 male adults.

Kingston currently has around 900 people living in temporary accommodation and at the end of 2021 had 0.54 households per 1000 assessed as homeless, according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS).

Kingston councillor Emily
Kingston Courier •

Does the younger generation still support the Monarchy? – Kingston Courier

To many, the Queen is a well-respected figurehead who acts as a focus for British identity, unity, pride and stability, but over recent years her admiration among younger generations has fallen.

In February, Queen Elizabeth II became the first British monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee after reigning for 70 years. The Queen’s historic reign will be celebrated in June, but for more than a third of people aged 18-24, this may not be something to commemorate.

A YouGov survey conducted in 202
Kingston Courier •

Living with Covid: Kingston residents disagree with government’s decision to scrap restrictions –

Most Kingston residents disagree with the government’s decision to scrap all remaining Covid-19 restrictions in England according to a recent poll.

This follows Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement on Monday, which detailed his ‘Living with Covid-19’ strategy. It brought an end to self-isolation from today and free Covid tests for most people from April 1.

A poll conducted by the Kingston Courier found that 76 per cent of Kingston residents were against the decision to stop self-isolati
Kingston Courier •

PODCAST: Should vaccinations be compulsory? –

As figures start to rise again due to the Omicron variant, there are some debates as to whether vaccines should be made compulsory or not. Countries like Austria saw riots breaking out over tight restrictions and talks of vaccinations becoming mandatory in order to stop the spread of the virus. So should vaccinations be compulsory in the UK? The Kingston Courier’s health editor Kieran Kelly discusses these issues with social media editor Abbey Bamford and politics editor Aysha Gilmore.
SurreyLive •

I visited the best rated café in Walton and it lived up to the hype

I went to the best-rated café in Walton-on-Thames according to TripAdvisor and can confirm it was lovely.

The 1955 Club café has a four and a half star rating on TripAdvisor out of a total of 208 reviews, which makes it the top-rated café in Walton-on-Thames according to the site.

I decided to try out the little café and see if it lived up to the expectations of the site.

READ MORE: Surrey weather: The times that key places will be hit hardest by torrential rain

The café is independently run
SurreyLive •

10 things you might not know about Weybridge

Weybridge is a beautiful bustling town with plenty of things to do, from scenic walks along the riverside to a spot of shopping on the stylish Baker's Street.

It takes just 30 minutes by train to travel into central London, yet you're surrounded by the county's picturesque countryside.

The town is also known for its wealth and is currently eighth on Zoopla's property rich list of the most expensive towns outside of London, with the average price for a property in the town standing at £1,012,92
SurreyLive •

Bikers roar through Surrey in tribute to man who took own life

The friends and family of a passionate motorcyclist and key member of a biker club have paid tribute to him by joining him on his 'last ride' following his death.

Paul Barrett, from Reigate, took his own life on November 29 according to his family, and was given a send-off in style on Friday (January 7) as a procession of motorbikes passed through the town and on to Surrey and Sussex Crematorium in Crawley to say their goodbyes.

READ MORE: Which pharmacies in Reigate, Guildford and Woking have
SurreyLive •

Race For Life to return to Guildford for the first time in three years

Cancer Research UK has announced the return of their Race for Life events in Surrey this year.

The fundraising event will take place on July 23 and 24 in Stoke Park, Guildford.

The charity’s annual Race for Life events raises money for world-class research to find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat 200 types of cancer.

READ MORE: Snow is predicted in Surrey this month by two forecasters - here's when and where

Each year in the South East around 55,800 people are diagnosed with cancer, w
Kingston Courier •

Kingston welcomes fifteenth Syrian refugee family – Kingston Courier

Kingston Upon Thames has resettled a fifteenth Syrian refugee family, and exceeded the council’s 2016 target to welcome 50 Syrian individuals to the borough.

The families were resettled under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS), which was launched in January 2014 to help those in greatest need. In 2015, then prime minister David Cameron pledged that the scheme would resettle 20,000 Syrians who need protection by 2020.

The VPRS closed in March 2021, and settled a total of 20,319 S
Kingston Courier •

The Courier's top culture picks of 2021 – Kingston Courier

This year has not been easy. The pandemic and subsequent lockdowns and restrictions have caused many plans to be cancelled, as well as the closure of theatres, cinemas and art galleries.

But what 2021 did bring was a splendid mix of films, television shows, exhibitions and music.

Here are the Courier team’s sparkling moments.

The pandemic brought a lot of things to a halt, and the movie industry is no exception. Before all the lockdowns, we had become accustomed to huge, action-packed superhe
Kingston Courier •

COMMENT: Boris Johnson has got away with another sleaze scandal... for now –

The last three weeks have been rough for Boris Johnson and the Conservatives, but it looks like the prime minister has weathered this storm and got away with yet another sleaze scandal.

But, if the Conservative party’s list of troubles gets any longer, this might not be the case forever.

Johnson’s party has been drowned in a wave of sleaze claims since their efforts to save fellow MP Owen Paterson from suspension after the former MP lobbied on behalf of two companies who paid him more than £10
Kingston Courier •

Video: Kingston Christmas market returns for festive season –

The Kingston Christmas market has returned for the festive season with 40 traditional wooden stalls, beer on sale and live music.

The European style market is on in the Market Place, and Alpine Village is on the front lawn of All Saints Church.

The market is open until December 24, with the stalls open from 10am-6pm Sunday to Wednesday and 10am-8pm Thursday to Saturday.

The bar and live music are on until 10pm every night.
Kingston Courier •

COP26: Kingston residents label Glasgow Climate Pact a failure –

Kingston residents have labelled annual climate change summit COP26 a failure, due to leaders’ lack of unity and the unlikelihood of the pact changing British views.

A Kingston Courier survey showed that 82 per cent of Kingston residents thought the final pact agreed in Glasgow on Saturday was a failure.

This compared to 6 per cent of residents who thought the agreed deal on the climate crisis was a success. Another 12 per cent of Kingston residents did not have an opinion on the final agreeme
Kingston Courier •

Kingston councillors criticise government’s £5k heat pump subsidies – Kingston Courier

Kingston’s Liberal Democrat and Green Party councillors have criticised the government’s plan to offer household grants of £5,000 to install heat pumps from next April.

The councillors’ main criticism was the scheme does not go far enough and more funding is required.

The grant is part of the government’s commitment to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. The government hopes to stop the sale of new gas boilers from 2035.

The subsidies will run over three years and be available to serve 90,000 h
Kingston Courier •

Kingston Council to raise awareness of domestic abuse during 16 days of Activism campaign – Kingston Courier

Kingston Council plans to raise awareness for Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) during the 16 days of Activism campaign starting on 25 November.

This is an annual international campaign, which calls for the prevention and elimination of VAWG. This is part of UN Women’s wider movement UNiTE.

During the campaign, the council plans to spread awareness through a White Ribbon stall, a live YouTube event, and a professional conference around the impact of VAWG on black and minoritised women. W
Kingston Courier •

Kingston vegan market coming Sunday, October 31 – Kingston Courier

Kingston Upon Thames to host vegan market organised by Ethical Vegan Events, Sunday, October 31 on Old London Road.

The market will offer a wide range of plant-based foods, drinks, ethical products, cruelty-free skincare, jewellery, and more.

Founder of Ethical Vegan Events Louise Simpson said: “Our market offers something for everyone. We love using the hashtag #notjustforvegans, because you don’t have to be vegan to enjoy great food, shop ethically and consciously.”

The event will be held b
Kingston Courier •

“I am fearful to put the heating on”: Kingston residents struggle with Universal Credit cut –

Kingston residents are struggling to cope with the conclusion of the Universal Credit ‘uplift’, which ended on 6 October.

Universal Credit is a scheme for people of working age, which was created to replace six benefit systems and merge them into one payment. The temporary £20 ‘uplift’ was introduced in response to Covid-19 to help those on the lowest incomes or unemployed.

According to UK government statistics, 9,782 households in Kingston are on Universal Credit, some of whom are unable to w
Kingston Courier •

Local MPs pay tribute to Sir David Amess – Kingston Courier

Local MPs have paid tribute to Conservative MP Sir David Amess who died on Friday after being stabbed multiple times.

The MP for Southend West was killed at his constituency surgery at Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex.

A 25-year-old British man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a knife was recovered at the scene, Essex Police has said.

The attack has been deemed a terrorist incident.

Sir Edward Davey, MP for Kingston and Surbiton, took to Twitter to express his c
Kingston Courier •

Kingston's hospitality sector suffering major labour shortages – Kingston Courier

Kingston’s hospitality sector is currently suffering major labour shortages due to Covid-19, Brexit and working conditions within the industry.

New data released on Tuesday by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) indicates that there were 134,000 job vacancies in the accommodation and food services sector from July to September 2021. This is a 59 per cent increase compared to statistics from January to March 2020.

The ONS claimed that the labour shortage is due to staff finding alternative

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