June 2024

Mark Nicholas founded the Laugh-Able comedy night in 2019 to give acts with disabilities and mental health conditions a platform. This month, he will launch Fest-Able – a festival of 16 shows – in Wanstead 

When I first started comedy five years ago, I vividly remember being booked with another performer who was forced to drop out because they couldn’t get their wheelchair into the venue. Having a disability myself (autism), I was sympathetic to the cause, and upon investigating the comedy scene further, I found this was a common barrier to many acts with physical disabilities. 

So, I set myself a mission to change this! With the help of a lovely London promoter and local advocacy project, One Place East, and with the support of Redbridge Libraries in providing an accessible venue, the Laugh-Able comedy night was born on 8 November 2019. 

Our first show was a huge success! A 50-plus audience turned up to see so many wonderful acts with different disabilities, including our headline act, Aaron Simmonds. Aaron, and many others, were very impressed with the accessibility of the night and how many other disabled folk came out to support this event. Although, Aaron did comment that Ilford station itself was not accessible!

Even during the pandemic, we continued to provide incredible nights via Zoom in which we attracted TV comedians such as Rosie Jones!

Coming out of Covid, I continued to work with One Place East and Redbridge Libraries to achieve several funding bids to deliver comedy workshops to local residents with disabilities and mental health conditions, which has led to said residents performing in our monthly showcases. In 2022, this was formally recognised by the European arts organisation Amateo.

After the pandemic, the decision was made to move the Laugh-Able events from Redbridge Central Library to Wanstead Library, something that has been a big hit with local residents, as demonstrated in May 2023 when Robin Ince headlined to a 60-strong audience, our highest attendance yet! Robin said of the night: “What’s nice is a comedy club where people don’t feel they have to put themselves into a shape of what a lot of comedy clubs expect… and it meant they could be themselves… it has a great playfulness to it.”

This month, we are embarking on our most ambitious project yet: Fest-Able. A festival of 16 shows, showcasing professional and the most up-and-coming acts with disabilities or mental health conditions on the comedy circuit. I’ll be opening the festival on 3 July with my first ever hour-long show (Mark Nicholas: This Isn’t The Autistic You Are Looking For). Another notable performance will be Live At The Apollo star Spring Day, who will be bringing her show EXvangelical to Wanstead on 22 July. I look forward to seeing you all there!

Fest-Able will take place at Wanstead Library from 3 to 31 July (tickets: pay what you can). Visit wnstd.com/fest-able

Tickets for the second annual Wanstead Beer Festival are now on sale.

“Last year proved so popular that tickets sold out a week early. So, don’t miss out this time,” said a spokesperson. The event on 12 October will take over the halls of Christ Church from 12 noon to 10pm, offering real ale, craft beer, cider, gin and wine. Tickets are £10 each (including a commemorative glass), with all profits donated to charity.

Visit wnstd.com/beer

Four homes across Aldersbrook and the Lake House Estate will open their gardens to the public on 7 July as part of the National Garden Scheme.

“The diverse garden at 19 Belgrave Road is busting at the seams with plants. At 4 Empress Avenue, the garden is divided in two, with a cutting bed and wildlife areas. 1 Clavering Road features a kitchen garden and chicken coop. And 39 Dover Road has an Edwardian layout,” said a spokesperson. The gardens will be open from 12 noon to 5pm (tickets: £10).

Visit wnstd.com/ngs 

The City of London Corporation is planning work to improve the waterscapes in Wanstead Park.

“The first part of our project will see the creation of a new reed bed at Heronry Pond. Work is due to start here after the nesting season in the early autumn. This new reed bed will also help improve biodiversity and mitigate the impact of climate change,” said a spokesperson.

The Heronry Pond was constructed between the 1720s and 1740s alongside the other ornamental lakes around the southern and eastern sides of the park.

In the third of a series of articles charting the experiences of a Wanstead-based travel writer, Carole Edrich talks about deadlines, dining out and Dutch art, and teases her Wanstead comedy night this month

While freelance journalists occupy the same place in editors’ priorities as the Taliban give to women’s football, columnists are different. Like seagulls, they get everywhere, do what they want, and often leave others to sort out their doings. 

I’ve always wanted a travel column. Not needing commissions means I could be more strategic and arrange trips that would feed both the column and my stand-up events, like the one coming up in Zoology. One recently landed! It hit like a gift from one of those seagulls. Hard and sudden and a total surprise. BlowUp The Hague, I decided, would make a perfect start. It fit my target demographics, would make for great stand-up material and have me home with loads of time to write before the deadline. 

But within hours of the trip’s confirmation, Editor-Arcee called to ask if I could deliver it three whole weeks earlier. My mouth said: “Yes, of course!” while my head was going ‘aaargh!’ and I went into such a big spin that it took some days to locate my wits, put them back in their place, and decide on my column’s new theme.

Around The World in 18 Plates would have me eating out in London as research, which would be fun to do with my friends. We visited Badiani Gelato (smooth, traditional, tasty Italian yum in Canary Wharf), Paro in Covent Garden (an East Ender’s spicy ode to Calcutta with stops at Iran, Goa and Bethnal Green) and Elondi (a perfectly portioned, mouth-wateringly wonderful Sunday lunch in a light and airy spa-like haven in Stratford Westfield). However, despite the magic words ‘press’ and ‘urgent’ and more than 50 emails, my gastronomic research moved forward at a similar speed to that of a heavily drugged snail. 

I changed the theme again to ‘getting lost in London’, filed to my deadline, and hated every word. Next morning I woke up in a sweat, worked on it until I only hated every other word, and submitted the new, marginally less awful version at OMG in the morning. 

I went to BlowUp The Hague anyway. It’s not a series of Dutch demolitions or a vivid explosion of tulips but an annual arts festival. This year, a lush, environmentally sensitive, temporary pontoon gallery of inflated sculptures by great Dutch designers. I’ll use it – and the vibe of the city – as a metaphor for the Dutch approach to sustainability. And there was gin.

From perfect start to perfect storm, I got the thing written on time. That’s not the end of the story. To discover the last twist, taste four great wines and hear more of my mad travel experiences, come to Zoology on 9 July.

Carole will host a wine tasting, travel and comedy event at Zoology, 145 High Street, Wanstead on 9 July from 7pm (tickets: £25).Visit wnstd.com/9july

Volunteers are needed to help run this year’s Wanstead Fringe.

“The Fringe will run for three weeks from 7 to 28 September, and we need 73 fabulous volunteers to help with a multitude of tasks. From fundraisers and administrators to photographers, technicians and event stewards, there’s so much to get involved with. Will you become one of the magnificent 73?” said a spokesperson.

Visit wnstd.com/wfvol

A local swan rescue volunteer has been praised for her work by the BBC Springwatch Wildlife Hero Awards.

“I’ve been a rescuer for The Swan Sanctuary for many years, and through this I have built up a great network of supporters. This year, many of them messaged to say they had nominated me for the award, and I was greatly surprised when the Springwatch team got in touch to say I was on the shortlist!” said Gill Walker, who was one of 32 finalists from over 1,750 nominations.

To report an injured swan, call 07970 404 866

The first female Superintendent of Epping Forest has been appointed.

Jacqueline Eggleston was awarded the role last month, having been part of Epping Forest’s senior management team for the last nine years. “I’m delighted to move into this prestigious and historic role. Like all of our fantastic team here, I love Epping Forest and am passionate about protecting this internationally significant and special landscape,” said Jacqueline.

The Superintendent is responsible for managing a budget of £31m over the next five years.

For more information on future Social Walking events and to take part, email lizzieofizzie@gmail.com

Planned future walks include the 6-7 mile Oak Trail, a circular walk from Theydon Bois. This will take place on Sunday 14th July and will be timed to be back in Theydon Bois for 2.30pm to enjoy the annual Theydon Bois Donkey Derby.

A planning application to build a block of flats on Evergreen Field was approved earlier this month, with developers looking to start work later this year.

The site – a patch of fenced-off land on Wanstead High Street, next to Christ Church Green – has not been used since 1967, when two homes that stood there were demolished.

The approval paves the way for the construction of a four-storey development, including a children’s day nursery on the ground floor and 24 flats above. A new public open space equating to just under half the total site area will also be created.

We would like to thank Redbridge Council officers, councillors and the public for their input into the planning process. Following clearance of any planning conditions, we are hopeful works will start later this year or early in 2025,” said a spokesperson for Caerus Developments.

Voters will go to the polls on 4 July for the General Election. The UK is divided into 650 constituencies, with Redbridge covered by four of them: Ilford North, Ilford South, Leyton and Wanstead and Chingford and Woodford Green.

The Wanstead Village Directory presents statements from all eight candidates standing in the Leyton and Wanstead constituency, which has been expanded following a boundary review in 2023. The whole of the Wanstead Park and South Woodford wards – parts of which were previously within Ilford North or Chingford and Woodford Green – are now included. The revised boundary means an additional 3,900 households are now voting for the Leyton and Wanstead MP.

Polling stations open at 7am and close at 10pm, and for the first time in a general election, photo ID is required to vote in person.