Murder in Notting Hill

All Hallow’s eve seemed like an appropriate time to travel back in time to solve a mystery decades old. So, whilst most people were downing cocktails and  dressing up as sexy pumpkins, Jimmy Saville and a host of other ghoulish things, the ARP of Notting Hill and Knighstbridge took to their trusty steeds (by which I mean their bikes) and set off into the cold night with murder on our minds.

                The guys at Bikeminded teamed up with the fantastically innovative Exquisite Folly once again to take us on a cycle tour of Notting Hill with a spooky twist. Transported back into wartime London, we were interrupted on one of our air-raid rounds by an Inspector and his bumbling sidekick. Much to the annoyance of our lead warden we were invited to the scenes of three mysterious deaths, all of which had mysterious parallels. Why was a patriotic pensioner found shot dead at the bottom of the canal by Kensal town? How did a young volunteer find herself crushed beneath the buildings at St Charles hospital? Why did the wounds found on a beautiful car crash victim not much the events of the accident? Why on earth were they all carrying cyanide capsules and just what ghoulish spirit inhabits the old war rooms at the Tabernacle?

                The cycle tour was entertaining, interesting and as always, highly innovative. Exquisite Folly has a very small cast who also had to try travel with us from location to location, all the while maintaining their characters, ensuring our safety and battling traffic, all of which they did admirably. The story was engaging and perfectly constructed to make use of local landmarks and the conditions of the season (bitingly cold!) Goodness knows how much meticulous organisation went on behind the scenes to make it happen but Bikeminded pulled it off again – a fabulous concept and a great way to get people into cycling.

For more details of upcoming Bikeminded events visit www.bikeminded.org

For more information on Exquisite Folly you can visit their site here.

Discovering Alice's Kensington Wonderland

There really is no better way to discover the most picturesque spots of Kensington and Chelsea than by bike. This weekend I let Alice, and the Exquisite Folly Theatre Company, take me by the hand on a cycling tour through a West London Wonderland in their interactive interpretation of Lewis Carroll's classic tale.

The fun started in the grassy riverside location of Cremorne Gardens, before we followed Alice and her slightly dotty new acquaintances through a selection of Chelsea's most beautiful green spaces, Brompton Cemetery, quirky mews locations before eventually finishing up in Holland Park. In such idyllic scenery, it's easy to get drawn into the story, and the cast members were fun, dynamic and playful - each playing several different, and charmingly barmy roles, and encouraging the audience to get involved in the action (watch out you don't lose your head!).

The interpretation was set in the 1930s, and the company took advantage of the quaint locations and added authentic costumes, chintzy tea sets and lured us in with plenty of tea cakes, fudge, juice and tarts (of course). We met a wonderfully uptight colonel, a totally sozzled sailor, the butler with the world's largest grin, and a marvellously impetuous Queen and her deluded and self-important King, amongst others. Alice and Woger Rabbit were our constant companions and guides, and the cycle volunteers played their part excellently shepherding a large group of novices around the borough on what was a busy Saturday afternoon.

The whole production was fantastic, and felt delightfully raw and improvised at times, with lots of amusing ad lib interactions with pedestrians and a wonderful commitment to recreating a different world, even when the action was taking place in public parks to the stares, and confused questions, of passers by not in on the show! It was such an innovative way of getting the whole family on their bikes, and exploring the best of the borough. Full marks to Exquisite Folly and Bikeminded RBKC. I can't wait to see what they put on next.

For more details on Bikeminded initiative, and to find out about upcoming events, check out their website here.