March 2022

Applications to hold a street party for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee must be submitted by 14 April.

“We will be supporting residents to hold parties on 5 June between 9am and 9pm. We have created a guide that gives a breakdown of the process and some helpful hints about holding a fun and safe event. In keeping with the spirit of the occasion, we will waive any fees,” said a Redbridge Council spokesperson.

Visit wnstd.com/stparty

Organisers of Wanstead’s Tin in a Bin network were overwhelmed by local support for their Ukraine appeal last month.

“We were approached by Redbridge Council to assist with the appeal. We put messages out across social media platforms and we can’t thank you all enough for your kindness. We collaborated with Woodford Baptist Church as volunteers took donations to the lorries, which transported the supplies to the Polish border. Once again, the Wanstead Community Hub was instrumental in mobilising teams. We had an overwhelming response but feel we may be called upon again as the situation continues to unfold,” said Juliette Harvey, who co-founded Tin in a Bin at the start of the pandemic.

An event to thank volunteers will take place at Wanstead Cricket Club on 15 April from 3pm to 6pm. “There are so many people who contribute to what we do we thought it would be nice to have a get together, a chance to put names to faces and meet the team.”

An election hustings with an environmental focus will be held at Wanstead Library next month ahead of the local elections on 5 May.

“One candidate from each of the main parties contesting the election in either the Wanstead Village or Wanstead Park wards has been invited. Questions can be submitted in advance or on the night. This is a rare and important opportunity for local people from across the political spectrum to gather in one space, to quiz candidates, and to hear them discuss and debate the multiple issues facing our environment and how to tackle them.” said Paul Kaufman, chair of the East London Humanists, which is organising the event in partnership with the Wanstead Society.

The hustings will start at 7.30pm (doors open at 7pm) on 11 April. The event is free and open to all. There will be a collection to cover hall hire costs with any surplus being contributed to the DEC Ukraine appeal.

To submit a question for the hustings, complete the form below:

Wanstead-based knitting group Social Knitworks has created a new range of woolly poppies to show support for Ukraine.

“We normally knit and crochet to help vulnerable people locally. However, we felt we had to do something for our Ukrainian neighbours. So, we dusted off our poppy patterns and found a few new ones, but instead of red, we have developed a range in blue and yellow, priced £4 each. All proceeds will go to the DEC Ukraine Appeal,” said Liz Hickson.

Email lizzieofizzie@gmail.com

Residents are invited to take part in Whipps Cross Voices, a community history project about Whipps Cross Hospital.

“We want to capture stories about the hospital from staff and patients, past and present, and preserve them as a historical resource for the future… You may be interested in recording your own memories, working in the archives with our existing collections, or helping us to curate the stories for displays online and at Whipps Cross,” said a spokesperson for Barts Health Archives.

A virtual launch event takes place today (30 March 2022) from 5.30pm to 6.30pm.

Visit wnstd.com/wcvoices

Redbridge Council launched a new microsite dedicated to identifying culprits caught on camera dumping rubbish on the borough’s streets.

The ‘Wall of Shame’ shares CCTV footage of people discarding their rubbish illegally, and is part of the council’s efforts to reduce fly-tipping in Redbridge.

“Featuring on the site this month are two men shamelessly dumping a mattress, bags and waste in Ilford Lane, a man fly-tipping a bag next to a street litter bin in Ley Street, a woman dumping bags along a wall in Baxter Road,  two further fly tips by a man and woman both dumping bags beside a communication box in Henley Road, and a man caught spraying graffiti on a wall in Bernards Close,” said a council spokesperson.

Click here to view the site or watch this month’s footage below. If you are able to identify any of the culprits caught on camera, email Cleansing.Services@redbridge.gov.uk

Residents can also report any fly-tips they spot in the borough through the council’s Report It page. All fly tips made known to the council are recorded and investigated, with enforcement action being taken if evidence is found. The council aims to clear all recorded fly-tips within 24 hours of it being reported.

Wellness Festival 2022 – a five-week programme of well-being events – launched yesterday and runs until 8 May.

“We are hosting a series of online events offering practical tools for people to take into their everyday lives. Sessions are run by a range of local experts, including yoga instructors, nutritionists, mental health advocates and musicians,” said organiser and Wanstead resident Elsa Arnold.

Sponsored by Petty Son and Prestwich, all proceeds will be donated to the charity YoungMinds.

Visit wnstd.com/w22

The Wanstead Village Directory and South Woodford Village Gazette have become the first publications selected by Redbridge Libraries to be made available on PressReader, a digital platform that allows library cardholders and leisure centre visitors to access newspapers and magazines from around the world.

“We are delighted to be adding these local publications to our virtual library service. This is the first step in making local content more widely available on PressReader,” said a Vision RCL spokesperson.

Visit wnstd.com/pr

Redbridge Museum will open a new permanent exhibition later this year exploring 200,000 years of local history. In the second of a series of articles, Museum Officer Nishat Alam looks at some of the items on show

For Women’s History Month, I want to celebrate a major event in British women’s history – winning the right to vote. From the mid-19th century, women across the country campaigned endlessly for this right. Redbridge was no exception.

Much like today, Ilford, Wanstead and Woodford each had their own distinct identities, often informed by affluence and class, and this influenced the kinds of suffrage activity that took place in each area.

In Ilford, campaigners known as ‘suffragettes’ who aligned with the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) were considered militant in their approach, smashing shop windows and setting fire to post boxes to bring about awareness of their cause. Women in Wanstead and Woodford tended to be more conservative. Woodford had its own branch of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies who believed in peaceful protest, distributing petitions and pamphlets or writing letters to their local MPs. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the shock factor of the WSPU’s methods drew more attention, and in 1918 some women were finally given the vote.

One woman who did not stop fighting, even when both groups suspended their campaigns during wartime, was Sylvia Pankhurst. Sylvia had been deeply involved in WSPU activities; her family had founded the organisation, she had designed flags, badges and banners, and had undergone force-feeding while on hunger strike in prison. She was also a pacifist and opposed the WSPU’s support for the war. As Sylvia’s politics became increasingly socialist, she was expelled from the organisation but continued to campaign with her own working women’s group in London’s East End.

In 1924, Sylvia moved to Woodford. From her home on Charteris Road, she campaigned in support of mothers’ rights and against racism and fascism for 30 years. She opposed the Italian colonisation of Ethiopia, and in 1956 was invited to move there by the Emperor Haile Selassie. She died and was buried in Addis Ababa in 1960.

Sylvia’s legacy in Redbridge remains and women continue to connect with her struggle for social justice. The Anti-Air War Memorial in Woodford Green, which she commissioned in 1935, became the site for events held in the 1980s by the Wanstead and Woodford Women for Peace, a local activist group that campaigned against the use of nuclear weapons during the Cold War.

The story of Sylvia’s life is documented on a new website (sylviapankhurst.com) and will be explored through objects, photographs and film in the new Redbridge Museum.

Redbridge Museum is located on Clements Road, Ilford. Visit wnstd.com/rm

To complete a survey about what else should go on display, visit wnstd.com/rms

Dear gas and oil, we want a divorce and we’re taking the kids, writes Troy Da Costa of Wanstead Climate Action, who believes it’s time Britain ended its abusive relationship with fossil fuels

An unprecedented rise in gas prices will see a tripling in household fuel costs this April and an increase in inflation to a 30-year high of 6%. The cost to offset the rise is said to be £7bn. As always, the poorest and most vulnerable among us will be pushed into making some undesirable choices.

Insulating social housing could have gone a long way towards reducing the number of people forced into fuel poverty, which is defined as a household paying more than 10% of its income on heating and electricity. 

A national plan to retrofit all homes with low-energy and low-carbon technologies would have reduced demand and kept the volatile fuel prices in check, while making strides towards reducing our overall dependence on burning fossil fuels.

Coincidentally, these are the two main demands of an environmental group known as Insulate Britain, a group consisting of teachers, librarians and pensioners, many of whom risked life and limb and are now doing prison time for stating the obvious.

There are no guarantees the price of gas will magically fall to a more comfortable level after April, and throwing grants at the problem and reducing taxes and levies will only provide a temporary reprieve.

We need a nationally driven campaign, intervention at the highest levels, to move away from this fossil fuel addiction, or forever be at the whims of the inflammatory market.

Currently, there are schemes at a local level to help insulate your home and replace your boiler with one that’s more efficient, but the scope of who is eligible to receive these is too narrow to make a difference.

The only way to bring down the price of fuel is to use less at a national level. Green technologies already exist and are quickly becoming cheaper and more efficient. At times like this, we should be benefiting from these. We should be leaders in green energy, free from the tyranny of our instinct to set fire to things to keep warm and cook our food.

We have arrived at the end of our relationship with oil and gas. The point where it costs more than it benefits us. Our efforts to cling to the good old days and fanciful memories of better times have brought us to an expensive and startling awakening. To continue as we are would be delusional. 

Now is the time to pack our bags and walk away from this marriage of inconvenience for good.

For more information on Wanstead Climate Action, visit wnstd.com/climate

Derek Inkpin from local solicitors Wiseman Lee explains why a new law is a step in the right direction to ending the ground rent scandal in the world of leasehold property

Leases of flats sold say 40 or 50 years ago were normally for 99 or 125 years, at a fixed ground rent of £50 to £100 each year. In the past few years, however, land developers of both leasehold houses and flats have started to include ground rents of between £250 and £500 per annum. What is worse is that some leases now have rent review clauses, which allow the ground rent to double say every 10 years.

If a ground rent of say £250 a year doubles every 10 years, a leaseholder would be obliged to pay £16,000 each year after 60 years. Not only would a flat owner find that amount unmanageable, but the flat, if let, would have a rent expense that could not be passed on to the tenant.

If you had bought the house or flat and did not appreciate the problem of rising ground rents, and your solicitor also failed to notice this, your mortgage lender most certainly would not lend in such cases, and this at least would stop a purchaser buying a property that would be pretty much worthless on the open market.

All this may be familiar to you because in recent years it has hit the headlines as a mis-selling scandal. Leaseholders saddled with this problem may try to purchase the freehold to overcome their defective lease or alternatively try to agree amendments to their leases, but these potential solutions are likely to come at a significant cost. If solicitors fail to notice these problems then they are likely to face a successful claim against them for negligence.

Being stuck with an unsellable flat or house (much like the cladding scandal) is, of course, the stuff of nightmares. As a leaseholder, you will feel trapped due to unfair ground rent charges, and claiming against your negligent conveyancing solicitors may take years to resolve.

The Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Bill – which received Royal Assent on 8 February – seeks to tackle the unfairness of these ground rent situations. The government has committed to legislate to restrict ground rents in new leasehold houses and flats to a peppercorn rent (of no value). In addition, loopholes in leasehold law will be addressed to improve transparency and fairness. The new law will allow leaseholders of houses and flats the right to extend their leases as often as they wish at a zero ground rent for a term of 990 years. Just in case landlords try to impose administration charges instead of a peppercorn rent, this is prevented in the bill.

Although the new law will only apply to the grant of new leases, it is a step in the right direction after a scandal which has gone on for far too long.

Wiseman Lee is located at 9–13 Cambridge Park, Wanstead, E11 2PU. For more information, call 020 8215 1000

Award-winning open-air theatre company Illyria will return to Wanstead Park this summer with three family-friendly performances.

The new season begins on 4 June with Peter Pan, followed by A Midsummer Night’s Dream on 8 July and The Pirates of Penzance on 29 July. All shows take place in the park’s Temple enclosure (gates open at 6pm; performances start at 7pm), and attendees are encouraged to bring their own seating, rugs, suitable clothing and a picnic.

Visit wnstd.com/parktheatre22

Karina Laymen believes illustration is a servant of the creators of art. In the second of a series of articles, the Wanstead House tutor presents a piece of work inspired by a dream about the rapture

For centuries, illustration has been considered a type of pseudo-art in the sense of a non-self-generating conceptual art. Illustration forms part of that triangular relationship of communication, where the author generates the concept, story or event, the public is the direct receptor or passive interlocutor of the author and the illustrator is that third ‘auxiliary’ part who facilitates the understanding or visualisation of the concept.

This humble position, outside a two-side flux of communication, gives the illustrator an honourable commission of servitude to the public and the author, the substantial creator.

Society throughout the years, especially from the 18th century onwards, has become increasingly self-centred: in these last two centuries, society has lifted a monument to the ‘I’ and ‘yourself’ to the point of making an individual’s existence a piece of art, placing aside, ofttimes, the substance of the creator.

Art as a pure discipline features a more introvert or narcissistic expression of the individual, which is the creator, the author, that shows us what dwells inside him or her: feelings, experiences, psychological processes, desires, memories, impressions and so on. Therefore, in this bipartite relationship of artist and viewer, the latter becomes an admirer of a private experience of another individual.

The generous nature of illustration as a position of servitude aims to exalt the substance to be appreciated.

After 30 years of receiving persistent ‘commissions’ from an author, in 2019 I finally decided to embrace the project and pass on the message this especial creator has for the public: my dreams of the end times.

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions… And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit… And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke,” (Joe 2:28– 2:30, King James Bible).

I had this dream around 2003. Musicians in red outfits were playing their instruments on the clouds, meteors were hitting the ground, thousands of people were wearing dark and dirty clothes, as if they’d just come out of a war, and the moon was growing and growing; it was getting larger and occupied a big part of the reddish sky.

Lying ill on my bed, I was dying, my mum crying next to me, but at the same time, I was standing by the broken wall watching everything, my sister at the window very excited because of the huge moon.

Let’s pay attention to our dreams. We might not be the author, so let’s be “a faithful servant”.

To view more of Karina’s work, visit wnstd.com/karina

Karina teaches art classes every Friday at Wanstead House from 10am to 12pm. She also runs bespoke illustration courses for small groups. For more information, visit wnstd.com/riae or call 020 8550 2398

Local author Christina Morris has created a self-care book for mothers.

The collaborative publication features stories from 20 women around the world, including Sally Martin from Wanstead and Lisa Russell from Loughton.

“If we help even one person by sharing our experiences, then the book will have fulfilled its purpose… It’s an excellent Mother’s Day gift!” said Christina. Priced £15, Strong Mothers is available online from Wanstead Bookshop, or on the High Street from City Place Coffee and Oxfam Bookshop.

Visit wnstd.com/books

The Wanstead Society will celebrate its silver jubilee by planting a new tree on the High Street this month in a nod to the community group’s first project in the late nineties. Scott Wilding reports

Back in 1997, an average pint would cost you £1.10, a litre of petrol was around 70p and I was still at Wanstead High School completing my A levels. But this was also the year that the Wanstead Society was born, and so in 2022, we turn 25.

To celebrate our silver jubilee, we are planting a tree outside Gail’s Bakery this month, which we hope will live at least another 25 years.

We’d like to thank Redbridge Council, who helped with the logistics, and for allowing us to celebrate our anniversary in this way.

We felt a tree was the right way to celebrate rather than a formal celebration. Urban trees provide heat shade, soak up excess water and give food and shelter to local wildlife. One tree on its own, of course, makes only a small difference. But in the 25 years we have been active, we have planted over 40 trees right across Wanstead, including the ones that stretch from Snaresbrook Station to the junction of Hollybush Hill. These were installed in the late 1990s and are still going strong; it was one of our first projects, but far from the last.

In over a quarter of a century, we have planted bulbs on Christ Church Green, funded the Wanstead Community Gardeners and helped pay for numerous community projects. From part-funding bins to fundraising for the refurbishment of the children’s playground on the green, we have always aimed to put something back.

Our next 25 years will see more challenges, but none more so than the environment. It’s essential that we do what we can to support local, native wildlife and plant vegetation if we want to tackle the climate emergency. This is likely to be the one really big challenge we all need to contribute to. In July last year, flash flooding caused by severe heavy rain resulted in huge damage to local homes and businesses. With extreme weather events becoming more frequent, it’s clear climate change is right on our doorstep, and in some cases, flooding over it and into our homes.

Our projects would never be possible without the help and support of Wanstead residents. As a volunteer organisation, we rely on our members giving their time for free. And it’s our members who, through generous donations and selflessly giving up their time, have made Wanstead just that little bit better.

So, we hope that over the next 25 years, we can continue making Wanstead even better still, and with your help, we will.

For more information on the Wanstead Society, visit wansteadsociety.org.uk or write to: Wanstead Society, c/o Wanstead House, 21 The Green, Wanstead, E11 2NT.

Councillor Jo Blackman (Wanstead Village, Labour) discusses speeding and dangerous driving, and invites residents to take part in community roadwatch events with local police

One issue that regularly comes up when we’re talking to residents is the problem of speeding and dangerous driving. Whether it’s motorists going too fast on main roads, ignoring red lights or driving aggressively, it seems we’re all fed up with feeling unsafe on our roads.

Redbridge Council can play a role in making roads safer by installing infrastructure like speed humps and a raised crossing, and we have recently consulted on introducing a number of measures to slow traffic on the High Street and other roads across Wanstead. School Streets zones that limit non-residential traffic close to schools can also help keep children safe and are working well at a number of local schools, including Wanstead Church School.

However, the council’s budget is under significant pressure and is subject to competing demands across the borough. Historically, TfL has provided much of the funding for councils to implement road safety measures. TfL is currently in negotiations with the government regarding future funding. Any settlement is unlikely to restore TfL’s funding to previous levels, nor provide councils with the funds needed to undertake all the road safety interventions necessary across the borough.

We know that enforcement is crucial too. A recent Panorama programme highlighted how a failure to reduce road deaths over the past decade is linked to a cut in the number of dedicated traffic police officers. Too many dangerous drivers have been able to continue without fear of being caught. Police numbers are set to increase, but it’s still unclear how many of those will be dedicated to policing our roads.

In Wanstead Village, we’ve asked the police’s local Safer Neighbourhoods Team to focus on dangerous driving. We are organising meetings for residents with the police where we know there are persistent problems to help highlight the need for more rigorous policing. We have also been told that specific police operations are being undertaken to target problem areas. And we have asked the police to restart community roadwatch events, where the police team up with volunteers to identify speeding motorists who are then issued with a warning letter, which can be effective at encouraging compliance. New technology can help too. As more drivers have dashcams, the footage is being used by police to prosecute dangerous drivers and can be uploaded via the police’s website for them to follow up.

Let’s hope the threat of police action, combined with road safety measures where feasible, will help make our streets safer.

To volunteer for community roadwatch events, email CommunityRoadwatch@met.police.uk

Aldersbrook resident Dr Mark Hayden is the Redbridge Climate Safe Streets Champion for the London Cycling Campaign and believes urgent action is needed to make our streets safe for active travel

It was reported in the October 2021 edition of the Wanstead Village Directory that I planned to ride from Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) to Glasgow for COP26. Alongside 70 paediatric healthcare providers and two GOSH patients, I completed the 500-mile ride to highlight the lack of action to protect children across the world from toxic air pollution. We carried urgent messages from GOSH patients, the World Health Organization and a healthy climate prescription signed by organisations representing 46m health workers. But did anyone listen?

Undeterred, I am now working with the London Cycling Campaign as the Redbridge Climate Safe Streets Champion to pressure politicians standing in the May local elections to commit to taking action to protect children.

Redbridge sits in 31st place out of the 33 London boroughs on the 2021 Healthy Streets Scorecard, and things are looking bleak unless change comes soon. Our borough has one of the lowest active travel rates in London, possibly because we also have one of the highest rates of pedestrians and cyclists killed or seriously injured. And we have done little to make our streets healthier compared to other boroughs (in 2018, an estimated 28 people in Wanstead died as a result of air pollution). We have very few school streets or safe cycle routes. We simply haven’t done enough and need to take urgent action to make our streets safe for active travel.

This is the local election that counts the most. Politicians can no longer delay action – they need to be big and bold now. Climate plans mean nothing if action does not follow. And action on cycling equals action on climate. Electric cars are not the answer for saving the climate, let alone congestion, pollution, inactivity and road danger. People and streets can change – change can attract a lot of noisy opposition, but most people do want better streets and most London motor vehicle journeys could be done other ways.

Everyone gets the urgency; a Conservative government, the Labour Mayor of London and all the experts are basically saying the same thing – we need a lot more cycling and a lot fewer cars, fast. But are we listening?

By Redbridge’s standards, Wanstead is relatively lucky. I am thrilled by the impact of the school streets initiative on Ingatestone Road in Aldersbrook. I love taking my dog for a walk in the morning and seeing the street full of kids and parents on bikes instead of speeding or idling SUVs. I also welcome the segregated cycle lanes being installed on Lake House Road and Centre Road, but worry that children in areas east of the A406 are being left behind.

For more information on the London Cycling Campaign, visit wnstd.com/lcc

A leading exponent of the bandoneon – a concertina-style musical instrument – will be performing at St Gabriel’s Church on 19 March as part of the Valentine Singers’ Misatango concert (7.30pm; £15).

“We are delighted South Woodford resident Julian Rowlands, who often plays on Strictly Come Dancing, will be part of our event. The concert is quite unusual. It will include a Mass written by an Argentine composer in a tango style. A fusion of words from the past with music of the present,” said a spokesperson.

Visit wnstd.com/vs

In the 25th of a series of articles, David Bird discusses the work of Redbridge Music Society and introduces pianist John Paul Ekins and cellist Timothée Botbol, who will perform in Wanstead this month

Redbridge Music Society continues its current programme of bringing high-quality musical events to the borough with a recital to be given by prize-winning young musicians, pianist John Paul Ekins and cellist Timothée Botbol, at Wanstead Library this month. The recital is dedicated to the memories of Dr Don Hoskins MBE and Manuel Villet, Redbridge Music Society’s past president and vice-president, who did so much to bring music to the local community. Music to be performed will include works by Debussy (Clair de Lune) and Mussorgsky (Pictures at an Exhibition).

John Paul Ekins is in much demand as a concerto soloist and chamber musician and has performed at many prestigious venues in the UK and abroad, including the Wigmore Hall and Royal Albert Hall, the Southbank and the Zurich Tonhalle. He graduated from the Royal College of Music in 2009, and in 2011 obtained a Master of Performance degree from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He made his Royal Albert Hall debut in 2013, performing Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with the Southbank Sinfonia. He has won 19 prizes at international competitions and has received generous support from organisations such as Making Music and the Keyboard Charitable Trust.

Besides teaching piano at St Paul’s School, John Paul also undertakes extensive educational and outreach work via workshops and masterclasses. During the recent lockdown, he raised money for the NHS and Help Musicians UK via a series of highly successful online recitals. He was particularly honoured to be presented to the Queen at a reception for young performers at Buckingham Palace.

Swiss cellist Timothée Botbol studied in Geneva and Lausanne, continuing his studies at the Royal College of Music on the Artist Diploma Programme. He has given many solo performances in the UK and across Europe at venues including St John’s Smith Square, the Purcell Room and the Royal Albert Hall. Timothée has appeared as principal cellist with the Welsh National Opera Orchestra and the Collegium ensemble. He is also a chamber musician performing with violinist Vilde Frang and the renowned violist Lawrence Power. In 2017, he was awarded the Grand Prize Special from all categories at the Augustin Aponte International Music Competition in Tenerife. In addition to cello, he also gives recitals as a baritone, and recently performed as a guitarist in the West End show Waitress. Timothée is currently a Park Lane Group Young Artist.

This event will be a very special evening of music-making. I do hope you can join us.

John Paul and Timothée will perform at Wanstead Library on 15 March from 8pm (tickets on the door; visitors: £10: members: £7). Call 07380 606 767. Redbridge Music Society is supported by Vision RCL and affiliated to Making Music.

The annual captains’ drive-in at Wanstead Golf Club has raised £2,125 for Leukaemia UK.

“I was genuinely humbled seeing so many people in attendance at what was a fantastic day for the club and a proud day for me personally… The whole club came together to have a fantastic time and I look forward to repeating this at other events throughout the year,” said new club captain Mark Pincham.

Women’s captain Margaret Fielding, veteran’s captain Paul Siggins and junior captain Tilly O’Leary were also inaugurated at the event.

In the ninth of a series of articles by those connected to Redbridge Lane West allotments – which are under threat from the adjacent gas works – we hear from former plot holder Gemma Sanderson

In November 2011, Wanstead Village Directory published an article sharing the enjoyment that my husband, Sandy, and I got from our little patch in Wanstead.

We obtained the allotment in 2007 when it was just a weedy patch of grass with poor-quality soil. It seemed a little overwhelming at the start, but Sandy gradually sectioned areas off into raised beds, where we could focus on improving the soil, and covered the paths with membrane and stones to keep down the weeds. We sifted the soil thoroughly in each of the beds to get rid of debris, grass and bramble roots. We also went and collected manure regularly from the local stables to combine with the soil. It was amazing to see what a difference this made to the quality and texture of the soil over the months and years.

Sandy and I loved the whole production process of growing our own fruit and vegetables, as well as the social aspect that came with the friendly site on Redbridge Lane West. There were a few well-established plot holders – who had been present when the Queen visited in 2002 – who gave us great advice in the early stages. Over the years, we went from being enthusiastic newbies to being sought out for advice ourselves. It also had a positive impact on my husband in terms of health and helped him get past the struggle he had with having to give up his career.

Sadly, in early 2012, Sandy became quite ill and was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of cancer. He deteriorated rapidly and I lost him in June that year. I really struggled for some time but found the greatest peace at the allotment, where we had enjoyed so much time together. We planted a crab apple tree on the site, in Sandy’s memory, alongside one for a fellow plot holder who we had lost the previous year. The allotment community was a huge part of what got me through that difficult time.

All the initial efforts put into the structure and layout made the ongoing work more manageable, and I was able to keep the allotment going for another four years, with help from fellow plot holders Sally and Ray. After this time, the wooden raised beds and structures were starting to deteriorate, and along with a need to downsize my property, I made the very difficult decision to give up my plot. But I still keep in contact with the many friends I made at the allotments.

A small amount of Sandy’s ashes were placed under a rose I planted for him at the allotments. Sadly, this rose is in the very area where I understand Cadent want to place a car park as part of their gas site upgrades. I will be sad to see all our hard work and memories demolished. I’m not sure Cadent realise how much time, effort and love has gone into each allotment plot over the many years.

To view Gemma and Sandy’s article from 2011, visit wnstd.com/sanderson
To view the petition to save the Redbridge Lane West allotments, visit wnstd.com/sta

A research project led by the University of Westminster is seeking feedback from local people about the streets of Wanstead and South Woodford.

“The EX-TRA project (Experimenting with City Streets to Transform Urban Mobility) is studying a number of street space experiments around Europe, including the mobility hubs implemented by Redbridge Council. Do you think this is a good use of street space? We are interested in the views of all people who live, work or visit here,” said a spokesperson.

Visit wnstd.com/extra

Work to create new cycle lanes – and expand existing ones – in the local area began last month.

It follows a consultation by Redbridge Council last summer – which invited feedback from residents, emergency services and TfL – on proposals for four roads: Aldersbrook Road (six weeks of work began on 21 February), Blake Hall Road (eight weeks of work began on 21 February), Centre Road (five weeks of work began on 7 February) and Lakehouse Road (four weeks of work began on 7 February).

Visit wnstd.com/cyclelanes

The recently formed Friends of St Gabriel’s will be hosting an eco-festival at the Aldersbrook church this month. It’s all part of future-proofing the venue, explains Georgina Brewis and Jane Skelding

St Gabriel’s Church has been at the heart of the Aldersbrook community for over a hundred years. The church, its hall and gardens are community assets that serve thousands of local people each year by providing spaces for an enormous range of recreational, social and educational activities.

The hall is currently home to a week-day morning nursery school, supports a programme of clubs and classes – from Pilates to football, Cubs and Scouts to knit and natter – and has hosted many generations of Aldersbrook birthday parties. However, the maintenance and upkeep of the ageing estate is extensive, costly and time-consuming. In the long term, St Gabriel’s would like to become greener and more sustainable by upgrading the hall’s facilities, including fitting solar panels and creating new meeting spaces, and is currently seeking planning approval for these works from Redbridge Council.

Since the summer of 2021, a small group of people – mostly non-churchgoers who live in Aldersbrook – have been working with Father Martyn Hawkes to form the Friends of St Gabriel’s on the lines of similar secular support groups elsewhere. The group exists to secure the long-term future of the church and its hall for everyone, regardless of religious faith. The Friends officially launched last September, and held a successful Christmas decoration event with Wanstead florist Daisy in December. Through fundraising events and by signing up regular supporters, we have so far raised over £3,500 to fund essential works to the hall, which will start this spring.

Our next big event is an eco-festival on Saturday 12 March (sponsored by The Stow Brothers). In celebration of protecting our local environment, there will be stalls covering all sorts of making, doing and repairing. There will be demonstrations and advice from experts on bike repairs, clothes alterations and ceramic repairs, as well as beer brewing. For anyone looking for new mindful activities, we will have local community groups ready to help you get started on pottery, knitting and horticulture. A member of the Redbridge Cycling Campaign will be on hand with local cycling tips and there will be a chance to view the planning application. Live entertainment will include a local Irish folk group. And there will be eco-friendly crafts for children and, of course, plenty of refreshments.

The Friends of St Gabriel’s want to ensure the church and its hall are still here in another hundred years. So, the group is open to everyone who values the presence of St Gabriel’s as a community asset and we welcome supporters from any religious background and people of no faith at all.

The Aldersbrook Eco-Festival will take place at St Gabriel’s Church, Aldersbrook Road, on 12 March from 12 noon to 3pm (entry: £1; children: free). For more information on the Friends of St Gabriel’s , visit wnstd.com/fosg

A book launch for Wanstead House: East London’s Lost Palace by Dr Hannah Armstrong will take place at Wanstead Library this month.

“Hannah will become a virtual tour guide, leading attendees through the different rooms of Wanstead House, which was demolished in 1824… She will bring the atmosphere of Wanstead’s lost palace alive again,” said Giles Wilson of Wanstead Bookshop, which is hosting the event on 31 March from 5pm (talk starts at 7.30pm; booking required).

Visit wnstd.com/bookshop