August 2022

Cattle grazing has not returned to Wanstead Park this year because of the drought conditions.

It follows an assessment by the City of London Corporation’s Grazing and Landscape Project Officer, who determined there simply wasn’t sufficient vegetation to support the cows. The situation is to be monitored in the coming months, and if sufficient moisture enables vegetation growth in the autumn, the cows will return later in the year.

English longhorn cows first returned to the park in 2020. 

A consultation over plans to build two linked blocks of flats on part of Snaresbrook Station Car Park launches on 7 September.

TfL has previously announced they will be closing the car park to allow development.

“We are holding three consultation events for residents to take part and find out more. We have two online events on Wednesday and Thursday 7 and 8 September. We also have a drop-in event, being held within Wanstead Library on Spratt Hall Road, on Wednesday 7 September (between 4pm until 7pm),” said developers Pocket Living.

Visit snaresbrook.communityuk.site

The founder of a Wanstead nursery has been announced as a finalist in the Black British Business Awards.

Connie Barrett founded Kids in Charge – which is based at Wanstead Youth Centre and also in Ilford – in 2007. “As a mother of five amazing children, I set out to provide flexible, guilt-free childcare to parents.  A place where parents could be assured that their child is seen and treated as an individual and their needs are truly central to all planning and activities,” said Connie, who also works as a business coach, supporting entrepreneur’s and business owners via her Review, Refresh and Recast event.

The Black British Business Awards celebrates the exceptional performance and outstanding achievements of black professionals and business owners in the UK and empowers organisations with the necessary tools to attract, retain and progress their internal Black, Asian and minority ethnic talent. 

Connie has been shortlisted for the Entrepreneur Senior Leader of the Year award.

This year’s winners’ ceremony will be held in the City of London on 29 September.

Elsa Arnold is well known locally for her work as a mental health advocate and for Spreading Kindness Through E11. Here, she outlines her work with east London charity Freedom 2 

I first connected with the founder of Freedom 2, Mel Manning, after setting up the Spreading Kindness Through E11 initiative, as their focus on creativity and well-being tied in with a lot of what my projects have also aimed to achieve.

As a passionate mental health advocate, particularly for young people, I saw the importance of the work FREEDOM 2 does in schools to support girls via their creative programmes, and I am grateful to now work closely with them through my role as their first youth trustee. 

We offer creative programmes to young girls aged 12 to 17 who may be at risk of exploitation. Based in east London and Essex, we focus on different areas of well-being to help build the girls’ self-worth and confidence, with the aim of providing space for self-expression in a way that feels comfortable for them. 

Programmes such as our FREEDOM 2 Create package provide resources for schools to be able to support their students’ emotional well-being in practical ways. We’ve seen, through running the sessions, how much value students find in having the opportunity to learn a new creative skill within the school day, having the space to talk to one another and explore issues that are important to them. 

In December 2021, we hosted an exhibition of several of the girls’ work from different schools at Fullwell Cross Library. The artwork displayed showcased a sewing piece in which the girls had sewn powerful words they felt connected with into fabric. Words included affirmations such as ‘I am strong’. The girls chose words and phrases personal to them, which were then sewn together into one large piece and hung in the window at the library. A huge value of FREEDOM 2 is empowering the young people we work with and giving them a platform to have their voices heard and know that they matter. We were pleased to be able to do this through our exhibition pieces. 

My role as a youth trustee also contributes towards this empowerment of youth voice. It is really powerful to feel you are being listened to and thought of, not only in the delivery of workshops, but in the decision-making of the organisation. I have learnt so much over the last year as a trustee. I’ve had the opportunity to edit their first-ever blog series and support events and new ideas for the charity moving forward. It’s been an extremely valuable experience, for which I’m very grateful. For a charity to recognise the importance of including young people throughout all of the work they’re doing is amazing and shows their commitment to the difference they are trying to make. 

We would love the opportunity to work with more schools, so do get in touch if that’s something you would like to be part of.

For more information about FREEDOM 2, visit freedom2.org.uk

Ron Filer is well known on the local art scene, running classes at Wanstead and Aldersbrook venues. As he gradually retires from tutoring duties, he is keen to find a replacement that will keep the community creating

Hi friends, I’m Ron Filer. I was born in Buckhurst Hill and have lived in Aldersbrook for the last 53 years. I enjoyed painting when at school and was an original member of Bedford House Community Association, with famous art tutor Walter Spradbury (1889–1969).

Scouting was always a joy, pulling the trek cart from Buckhurst Hill to Gilwell Park (not so much traffic in those days). After leaving Walthamstow Technical College, I joined J Sainsbury’s as an apprentice refrigeration engineer. I served as scout leader in the 45th Epping Forest group, then called up for the RAF as an electrician on National Service duty for two years.

I married Margaret in 1959, who I met at Scottish dancing at 15 years of age through the Scouts and Guides. We moved to Aldersbrook, where I again took up Scout leadership with the 21st group and with three young children of our own! We are still happily married, now with grandchildren and three great-granddaughters.

I retired at 65 from the refrigeration industry but continued until this year to be on the committee of the 65-year-old London Refrigeration Society, which sadly had to close through Covid and a lack of new members.

 I continued many activities in retirement, including attending painting classes at Wanstead House. I’m now a long-standing committee member and president of Wanstead House Community Association, where many classes and clubs meet weekly for handicrafts, flower arranging, languages, dancing and art. I went on to become involved with Art Group Wanstead – formed in 2011 by Donna Mizzi – as treasurer and committee member. 

I have also been guiding folk at Age UK in the Corner House (Allan Burgess Centre) on Thursday mornings for over 11 years, where more senior guests do watercolours, chat and socialise. Then, each Tuesday afternoon, I do something similar at St Gabriel’s Church hall in Aldersbrook (as is the subject of my painting here) with a group at which anybody is welcome to ‘knit, paint and natter’ over a cuppa. 

I love to encourage painting activities through outdoor visits or working from photos or magazine articles. Interested? Why not give one or more of these Wanstead-based groups a try? These are local venues at which you can meet new friends whilst gaining new skills to share with others. 

All these local groups need new blood to organise and supervise and ensure many more years of friendly activities. I still paint, but I’m getting less mobile, so are you interested in helping me guide and teach others? Please get in touch if so.

For more information and to contact Ron, email ronfiler91@gmail.com

The ninth Wanstead Fringe – which runs from 9 to 25 September – will include the first Wanstead Book Festival. Here, Giles Wilson offers a glimpse of some of the writers taking part

It amazes me to write that 2022 marks the ninth Wanstead Fringe, the annual celebration of culture which takes place each September and which started with about a dozen hastily arranged events in the summer of 2013.

With the exception of the year of lockdown, the Fringe has grown year-on-year, gradually expanding as more and different activities and new venues have been added to the line-up. This year’s new attractions include the launch of something that could become a big affair in its own right: the Wanstead Book Festival.

A joint effort between Wanstead Bookshop, Vision RCL and the Oxfam Bookshop, the festival will include local and national authors, and will cover everything from children’s books to music, crime and poetry.

Heading the bill is Hannah Lowe, the Ilford-born poet who last year won the Costa Book Award with The Kids, an anthology of sonnets inspired by her time teaching at City and Islington College.

Justin Webb, presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, will be speaking about his memoir The Gift of a Radio: My Childhood and Other Train Wrecks, in which he unpicks his upbringing jostled between his mother’s undiagnosed psychological problems and his stepfather’s untreated ones. His former colleague John Humphrys says Webb is “a great broadcaster because he sounds like a real human being,” and we’re lucky he will be coming to our inaugural festival.

We’re also delighted that one of the most creative characters from around these parts, John Rogers, will be taking part too. He has built a huge following for videos of his walks during which he talks about the history which made east London. His book, This Other London, has been described as being like the adventures of a “redbrick Indiana Jones in search of the lost meaning of our metropolitan existence.” It will be a return to the Fringe for John, who in 2015 played the part of William Pole-Tylney-Long-Wellesley in a mock trial staged on Christ Church Green, which is appropriate since Hannah Armstrong, the historian who has done more to document the history of Wanstead House than anyone else, will be giving audiences another chance to take a virtual guided tour around the former palace.

Ted Kessler spent his career at NME and then as editor of Q magazine until its closure in 2020. His book, Paper Cuts, is the inside story of the death of the British music press, but also a love letter to it. A familiar figure in Wanstead, Ted has been described as a great writer by none other than Paul Weller. 

These and other authors will be taking part in what we hope will be the first of many Wanstead Book Festivals.

For full details and Wanstead Fringe event tickets, visit wnstd.com/fringe22

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

In this article, I’m revisiting the stately Wanstead House, once part of what is now Wanstead Park and whose wealthy owner I wrote about some months ago. This time, I’m skipping forward in time to the Regency era of the early 1800s to look at the story of one of its later owners, Catherine Tylney-Long.

Catherine was born in 1789 in Draycot, Wiltshire, where she spent her early life. She was a descendant of Sir Richard Child, 1st Earl Tylney, who had rebuilt Wanstead House 100 years earlier. In 1805, she inherited the estate as part of the Tylney-Long fortune, amounting to over £200,000 (around £20m today). She became the wealthiest heiress in the country.

Catherine’s new status attracted many eligible suitors, including the Duke of Clarence, who later became King William IV. In the end, she fell for William Wellesley Pole, a nephew of the Duke of Wellington. He was handsome, fashionable and well connected. Catherine adored William, although it was clear to others he was trouble. Although William was charming and of noble birth, he had a reputation as a rake, addicted to gambling and womanising. But despite warnings about his improper behaviour, Catherine was in love. She learned who he really was through his many scandals but remained smitten. The two exchanged love letters, many of which are now in the collections at Redbridge Museum and Heritage Centre, like the Valentine’s card from William pictured here. 

The marriage in 1812 ultimately led to Catherine’s downfall and the end of Wanstead House. In their pre-nuptial agreement, William had gained control of over half of Catherine’s inheritance, including her properties, and was legally entitled to her earnings. 

Stories about William and Catherine’s lavish wedding and extravagant lifestyle appeared in gossip columns, a sign of success for the celebrity couple. William’s career also flourished when he became an MP. Yet he was still partying and gambling, squandering away Catherine’s fortune. The family travelled across Europe where William could avoid his creditors, and it was from Naples in 1823 that he sold Wanstead House for demolition for only £10,000 to ease his debts. He eventually abandoned a humiliated Catherine and their children in pursuit of a married woman. 

Catherine separated from William and returned to Draycot without him in 1824, resolving to “assert [her] rights” when he threatened to remove the children from her. Burdened by stress, her health deteriorated until she died in 1825, aged 35. 

Personal stories like Catherine’s – about the people behind the borough’s houses, shops and institutions – will be explored in the new Redbridge Museum, re-opening later this year.

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

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

Art Group Wanstead’s monthly pop-up exhibition on Christ Church Green will return on 14 August.

“Our members will be putting up their work for the second time on the chain-link fences by the High Street from about 10.30am to 3.30pm. They aim to add interest for Wanstead, and to encourage local artists. Stop for a chat, or just check out the work as you walk by. You may even be inspired to pick up a paintbrush when you get home,” said a spokesperson.

The group welcomes all artists with a local connection.

Visit wnstd.com/art

Redbridge’s Disability Awareness Festival returns to Christ Church Green this month. There will be information stalls, activities for people of all abilities… and a Freddie Mercury tribute act, says Sophie Donelan

The London Borough of Redbridge, in collaboration with its partners, One Place East, Vision, Uniting Friends and Redbridge Forum, will host the annual Disability Awareness Festival on Christ Church Green this month. This is the first face-to-face disability awareness festival since 2019, and the theme this year is ‘back to life, back to reality’.

The festival is a special occasion offering people the opportunity to participate in activities that are accessible to everyone, with or without a disability, as well as the chance to take part in a positive community event that can enhance their sense of well-being. This event is open to the wider Redbridge community and beyond.

We aim to provide a unique opportunity for participants with disabilities to showcase their talents, helping to improve self-esteem and confidence as well as learning new skills or becoming more independent. This is a great chance to strengthen community links between residents and service users with disabilities. 

On the main stage, there will be live music, dance and comedy performances throughout the day. There will also be outdoor games and activities, and the headliner will be a Freddie Mercury tribute act!

A variety of organisations and charities will focus on providing support and service information for individuals with disabilities on the day, and many people will be holding information sessions to consult and advise on options available so that those with a disability can become more independent. This is a family-friendly event, and there will be a wide range of workshops offered throughout the day, such as music, dancing, arts and crafts, sports and wellness. 

Not only do we aim for this to be a fun event for all, but we also aim to improve both the mental and physical health of participants through accessible sports and links to health and well-being activities and services. Redbridge Council and its partners believe the health and well-being of residents, and having access to information, is of great importance, so there will be a chance for attendees to have health check-ups, including with the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme.

There will also be local businesses selling a wide range of goods in our market area, and refreshments available from the food and drink village. 

Please show your support and come along. We hope to see you there!

The Disability Awareness Festival will take place on Christ Church Green on 24 August from 12 noon to 5pm. For more information, visit wnstd.com/daf22

Tim Harris from the Wren Wildlife Group describes some of our most fascinating insects: dragonflies and damselflies, which thrive in Wanstead Park, like this four-spotted chaser photographed at Perch Pond

Take a stroll along one of the lakes in Wanstead Park on any warm, sunny day from May to October and you have a very good chance of seeing one of our many local dragonflies or damselflies – perched on a lily pad, grasping an iris blade, sunning itself on a path, or whizzing past in pursuit of prey. 

Collectively known as the Odonata, according to fossil records, these flying insects have been around for some 350 million years. There are 46 species in the UK, and 21 have reliably been seen in Wanstead.

Unless we take up pond dipping, we only see the last and shortest stage of their fascinating life cycle. Dragonflies and damselflies undergo incomplete metamorphosis with three life stages, rather than butterflies’ four: egg, larva, and adult. Fertilised females inject many tiny eggs into aquatic vegetation near the water surface, or – depending on the species – deposit them loosely in water. Within a few weeks, the eggs hatch into larvae. This is the longest stage of a dragonfly’s life. Over the course of one, two, or even five years in the case of the golden-ringed dragonfly, they are active underwater predators in freshwater lakes and rivers. As they grow, the larvae are able to eat ever-larger prey, including other insects, snails, leeches, tadpoles and even small fish. 

When they are ready, the larvae climb out of the water and up the stalk of an aquatic plant and squeeze themselves out of their larval ‘skin’. Sometimes, these discarded exuviae can be found still attached to vegetation. The newly emerged adult dries its wings and legs in the sun and, when strong enough, takes its first tentative flight.

The first species to emerge locally is the large red damselfly, which can sometimes be seen by tiny garden ponds in late April, while common and ruddy darters can even be seen on warm days in October. Adults typically live no more than a fortnight, though some may fly for eight weeks before they perish. If they successfully mate during this time, they will have kick-started another generation. 

In Wanstead Park, the margins of Shoulder of Mutton, Heronry, and Perch ponds are alive with these colourful insects on warm summer days; the bank at the east end of Perch Pond is as good a place as any to watch a variety of behaviours. There, aggressive male dragonflies can be seen chasing off rivals, while females lay their eggs among the waterside plants. And sometimes, dozens of coupled pairs of damselflies can be seen mating on the wing or on mats of weed. 

With global climate change, some continental species are colonising southern England. Others seem to be struggling. In our area, they have both unpolluted water and emergent vegetation, and that’s why they’re thriving. If you see anything interesting, you can report your sighting to the British Dragonfly Society (BDS). Better still, join the BDS and help their efforts to conserve these beautiful creatures.

For more information on the British Dragonfly Society, visit wnstd.com/bds

For more information on the Wren Wildlife Group, visit wnstd.com/wren

Haven House Children’s Hospice is inviting residents to sign up for this year’s Sparkle Walk.

“Grab a team of friends and family and help us paint the town pink with a 10km walk through Wanstead, South Woodford and some parts of Epping Forest,” said a spokesperson for the Woodford Green charity. The event – which starts and finishes in Wanstead – will take place on the evening of 2 September. “Every participant will receive a T-shirt and a glass of fizz at the finish line!”

Visit wnstd.com/sparkle22

A consultation on London City Airport’s expansion plans is open until 9 September.

“Wanstead is facing the prospect of more flights from City Airport at weekends, in the early mornings and late evening. The airport argues only quieter, cleaner aircraft will be used during these hours. However, the aircraft are only significantly quieter on departure and within about four miles over the airport. So for Wanstead, that difference could be negligible,” said a spokesperson for campaign group HACAN East.

Visit wnstd.com/lca22

Volunteers joined Vision RCL’s nature conservation rangers last month to remove Himalayan balsam growing along the Wanstead stretch of the River Roding.

“Our volunteers weren’t afraid to get stuck in and wade in the river, setting up a great production line. The stems pulled out of the water were eventually placed along the side of the footpath to allow wildlife to crawl out and find cover,” said Tajinder Lachhar.

Introduced to the British Isles in 1839, the invasive weed prevents native species from growing.

Iain Ambler updates on the recently restored Redbridge Lane West allotment pond, which has become a biodiversity hotspot. Photo by Stephen Lines

In the December 2021 edition of the Wanstead Village Directory, I wrote about how a group of 15 plot holders had restored the main pond on our Redbridge Lane West allotment site so it is wet year-round and a great habitat (again) for wildlife. We were sparked into life by the proposal of our neighbour Cadent, the global gas company, to use part of the site as a compound to support their works and to permanently acquire a strip of allotment land along the current boundary.

Having a year-round wet environment is critical for native amphibia (frogs, toads, newts) and insects. There was already a very overgrown and dried-out pond on the site. So, in 2021, we cleared the pond surrounds (including felling two large willow trees that were overgrown), relandscaped the pond and relined it with a butyl liner. Then, we added pond plants so they could establish.

Over the winter, the pond lay dormant, save for the odd visit by passing waterfowl. But then, when spring arrived, slowly wildlife returned to the pond and it’s now a real biodiversity hotspot.

It was not long before we spotted many baby newts, now at an age where they will shortly leave the pond as ‘efts’ to seek out other damp areas in the allotment (several plot holders installed mini ponds on their plots during 2021 which we hope they will find).

Frogspawn and then baby frogs also appeared and some large dragonflies – male and female broad-bodied chasers with stunning, bright blue and yellow abdomens – have become regular visitors, as are common blue, large red and emerald damselflies. Bees of various kinds and hoverflies are regularly seen drinking at the water’s edge, and water boatmen row over the surface.

We also found evidence that larger mammals, possibly foxes, are using the pond as a water source, and Nathusius pipistrelle, a nationally scarce bat species often found near water, has been recently surveyed overflying the site.

The plants we added have all survived and blossomed, including yellow flag irises, water lilies, marsh marigold and purple loosestrife (common yellow loosestrife has also magically reappeared, a result of the scrub clearance by the side of the pond), and these are all attracting pollinators.

What’s next?
New ponds need maintenance to ensure they stay free from blanket weed – this has meant regular weeding by our volunteer group. Eventually, we hope that a combination of oxygenators and shade from plants and trees will self-regulate.

The pond surrounds will continue to require some work – this includes strimming and the clearing of brambles around the pond to ensure they don’t grow back.

We have also created two mini-wild flower meadows alongside the pond, with plants grown from seed over the winter (to varying degrees of success), and plug plants funded by Vision RCL, and we will continue to add to and maintain these. 

We are considering what we might do in partnership with Vision and Cadent to further enhance the site for wildlife, as Cadent will be required to demonstrate a biodiversity net gain from their works. 

For me personally, I’ve enjoyed seeing how such a small area – the size of a small back garden – can do so much for wildlife, even when only metres from the busy A12. It has also been great to see the interest in and enjoyment of wildlife from many plot holders.

We have continued to receive expert advice and support from Vision’s allotments officer Simon Litt and his team, as well as from Tim Harris of the Wren Group, to whom we are very grateful.

For more information on allotments in Redbridge, visit wnstd.com/allotments

Property sales should be plain sailing, but can sometimes go wrong. Not telling the truth about some aspect of the sale can cause great upset, says Derek Inkpin from local solicitors Wiseman Lee

The word ‘misrepresentation’ simply means not telling the truth, and if a property seller fails to inform a buyer of a given situation, this can give rise to a substantial claim to compensate the buyer.

Part of the conveyancing process involves the seller completing a Property Information Form. If the seller has been truthful in response to the questions raised, this would not normally give rise to a claim, but if a misleading impression or wrongful information is given, the buyer can claim the expenses (sometimes substantial) in correcting the position.

Examples could include stating that: 

• There have been no disputes with neighbours if untrue.
• The property does not suffer from a flooding issue, when it does.
• The property does not suffer from Japanese knotweed, when it does.
• The position of the boundaries have not been changed, when they have.
• The property does not suffer from damp, when it does.

These are some examples of how a buyer could be misled, and if the buyer relies on these inaccuracies to their detriment, financial consequences could result. The picture becomes blurred when it transpires that an incorrect ‘statement of fact’ is actually the seller’s opinion, and therefore no claim for misrepresentation will arise. However, if the seller’s opinion turns out to be untrue and was given recklessly, a claim could be made.

Take the well-known 1993 case of Sindall vs Cambridgeshire CC, where land was being sold for development. In answer to the question: “Is the seller aware of any rights affecting the property other than those which can be seen on inspection?” the seller’s answer was: “Not so far as the vendor is aware,” which the court found to mean the seller had effectively said: “I have checked but cannot find anything.” This was held to be a false statement of fact because a sewer ran underneath the land, which was not discovered until after completion of the purchase. If the buyer decided to keep the land, he could claim compensation for the cost of rerouting the sewer (assuming this to be possible) or could claim rescission of the contract whereby the seller must take back the property. Damages to compensate the buyer may also be awarded.

All this is at the court’s discretion. Sometimes, damages will only be awarded subject to exploring all circumstances of the case.

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

Local resident and mental health campaigner Elsa Arnold was highly commended at the Million Minutes Celebrating Young People Awards last month for her work in ‘ensuring human dignity’.

“When we think of well-being, we may often think of positive and enjoyable activities. Living in Wanstead, we may also think of Elsa Arnold. Elsa works tirelessly to support others and uses her lived experience of mental health positively. Congratulations, Elsa! Thank you for all you have done and continue to do,” said Katharine McKnight.

A new series of police pop-up hubs have launched across Redbridge, including regular sessions at Wanstead Library.

“This is a borough-wide initiative, and the contact points will be conducted by Safer Neighbourhoods Team officers from wards across Redbridge. The public can meet and talk to us face-to-face about any local policing concerns or safety issues they may have,” said a police spokesperson.

This month’s sessions in Wanstead will take place on 3, 10 and 24 August from 4pm to 7pm. 

The monthly litter pick in Wanstead Park will take place a week later than usual this month and will be held on 21 August from 11am (meet at the Temple).

“Trigger-action litter pickers and bags will be provided (£5 cash deposit), but please bring your own gloves for hygiene reasons,” said a Friends of Wanstead Parklands spokesperson.

Additionally, there will be no litter pick in September to avoid a clash with the Wanstead Festival.

An entire family of swans from Wanstead Park were relocated to The Swan Sanctuary in Middlesex last month.

“The Ornamental Water swan family were living in horrendous conditions due to low water levels. The swan rescue volunteers monitored the family of six daily, and as temperatures started to soar, the decision was made to remove them from their territory and temporarily relocate them to a woodland pond in the sanctuary,” said Helen O’Rourke.

Donations to the swan rescue fund are welcome.

Visit wnstd.com/swanfund

Marian Temple explains how the Wanstead Community Gardeners responded to last month’s heatwave and urges us all to spare a drop of water for our communal gardens and young street trees

Well, we seem to be getting heatwaves every year, but the two days of extreme weather last month were more of a challenge than usual. First of all, our style of gardening is not the norm. It’s the old-fashioned, cottage garden style, with a procession of plants doing their stuff at their right time, flowering, making seeds and fading. This should not need a lot of water. 

We plant in autumn to give them time to develop a good root system. We try to use the right plants for the right place. At some times of the year, our patches are amazingly beautiful, but in a dry spell, they will look sorry for themselves. ‘Tis the nature of the thing and most people seem to accept that our patches are not all singing, all dancing all year. In times of drought, we choose carefully what we water. At the Corner House garden, late evening, we were using the hose; unusual for us. We are only watering phlox and hydrangeas. Water is a valuable commodity, so we think carefully about how we use it. Some patches we simply have to leave to their own devices. They might look miserable, but withered leaves are often a survival tactic to prevent the plant losing too much moisture and protect the roots. When the rain comes, many will bounce back. The ones that don’t? Well, c’est la vie. Gardens which are looking good in July and August (our sad period) have often been planted with annuals from the nurseries and will flower until the end of the year. They are water hungry. Not our style. 

People will often offer to water, but doing it is quite another matter. We have a small group of dedicated waterers who focus on one patch or on one group of vulnerable plants. Late in the evening, you will see them trolling around with their watering cans. Wanstead thanks them. We’re also thankful to Purbani, Little Bears Nursery and Kindred Nursery, who allow us to use their taps. Aware of their water bills, we try not to overuse.

Warned of this extreme weather, we protected some plants, building up a jacket of cut leaves and greenery around them to stop the water evaporating from the bare earth. The tree surround outside Barnardo’s, which we are trying so hard to get established this year, has a protective cover of green netting. 

When it comes to other street trees, the problem is the council plant new ones every year to replace those that have died. Often, they’re lost because they are vulnerable in their first couple of years. If no one keeps an eye on them in dry spells, they die, have to be replaced, and so the cycle continues. Good for the nurseries, not good for birds, insects and taxpayers. But the council do not make it obvious that help is needed from residents. Many would not think of watering a tree. There is a need to get the message out there, and hopefully this article will prompt a few more of us to fill up a watering can or two.

To contact the Wanstead Community Gardeners, visit wnstd.com/gardeners

Two family-friendly theatre performances will take place outside the Temple in Wanstead Park this month.

Quantum Theatre will be performing The Tale Of Peter Rabbit And Benjamin Bunny on 10 August, followed by The Reluctant Dragon on 19 August. “Quantum Theatre tours nationally with adaptations of classic texts, presenting them in a fast-paced, tightly choreographed and entertaining style,” said a spokesperson.

Visit wnstd.com/qt