July 2024

The Chingford & Woodford Green constituency will continue to be represented by the Conservative Party in parliament, with Sir Iain Duncan Smith re-elected as the MP.

Having held the seat since it was created in 1997, the former Tory leader increased his majority by 3,495 votes, although his share of the vote was down from 48.5% in 2019 to 35.6% in yesterday’s election.

“Working together, we’ve delivered on our shared priorities,” said Sir Iain Duncan Smith in a pre-election statement, citing the repair of Broadmead Road bridge as a local priority he will fight for.

Second and third place candidates were Labour’s Shama Tatler and the independent candidate Faiza Shaheen respectively, with just 79 votes separating them. Faiza Shaheen had previously been the Labour candidate, but was dropped by the party in the run-up to the election, causing a split in the Labour vote.

The Liberal Democrats received just 2.6% of the vote, down from 5.7% in 2029, leaving them in last place behind Reform and the Greens.

Having lived in multiple countries, Art Group Wanstead member Nataly Kenny reflects on the connection she now has with the local environment

I was born in Yerevan, Armenia, where I fell in love with drawing and painting during my secondary school years. Family life and moving countries a number of times in my twenties and thirties, however, meant I did not have the opportunity or head-space to touch a pencil or a brush again for around 38 years.

I eventually settled in England and now live in Woodford with my family. I fell in love with the local area the moment we walked down Snakes Lane East towards our new home 17 years ago. My emotional connection to the area has only grown stronger over the years, having experienced the nature on our doorstep not only through my own eyes and heart but through those of my now late mother, my beloved husband, my daughter and my grandchildren.

I began to paint again after my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. The pain of watching her rapidly deteriorate was too strong and I needed to release it somehow, so I tentatively started to experiment with drawing and painting.

The one silver lining of my mother’s disease was that she loved going for walks around the local area, and the one thing she did not rapidly lose was her love of nature. Those walks with my mother kept me relatively sane during those difficult times and also opened my eyes to the beauty of our local park – Ray Park – and the path that runs along the River Roding behind it. And since my grandchildren were born, the local parks and wilder pockets of Epping Forest, including Wanstead Park, have been like a second home to my whole family! 

Every flower, creature and scene in the local parks and along the river and forest paths – their vibrant colours and textures – have inspired me greatly and shaped me as an artist.

At first, I was a lone wolf, but over time, as I slowly recovered from losing my mother to Alzheimer’s, I longed to join the local artistic and wider community. So, in 2023, I joined Art Group Wanstead and Essex Art Club and have since formed friendships with some wonderful artists. We have exhibited together and supported each other during exhibitions in Wanstead Park and Wanstead House, Hawkey Hall, Epping Forest Visitor Centre and, most recently, the fayre at Eton Manor RFC. I love the welcoming atmosphere of these events and getting to know the local community. 

It is a blessing and a privilege to live on the doorstep of Epping Forest and I love painting it! The beauty of it is everywhere; we just need to look up and see it.

To view more of Nataly’s artwork, visit, natalykennyfineart.com

The annual Lake House Jumble Trail will return on 13 July (11am to 3pm), with residents selling pre-loved items from their front gardens and raising funds for Haven House.

“Expect all good things from books, plants and cakes to outgrown kids’ stuff and perhaps that random cable you have been searching for, all at (probably) bargain prices! This year, we’ve got the added bonus of Richmond Way being closed until 7pm, so there’ll be lots of stalls, music and food to enjoy over there,” said a spokesperson.

Visit wnstd.com/lakehousejt

The Leyton and Wanstead constituency will continue to be represented by Labour in parliament, with Calvin Bailey elected as the new MP.

The former Royal Air Force pilot won the seat with a 13,964 vote majority, a reduction of 6,844 compared to his predecessor John Cryer.

“I am passionate about education and opportunities for our young people in Leyton and Wanstead,” said Bailey in a pre-election statement, citing the delivery of a new Whipps Cross Hospital and opportunities for the next generation as his top priorities.

The Green Party increased their vote share, up from 4.1% in 2019 to 15.5% in yesterday’s election, pushing their candidate Charlotte Lafferty into second place.

Both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats saw their vote share drop, finishing third and fifth respectively, with independent candidate Shanell Johnson earning a 9.5%  share of the vote to take fourth place.

The company behind the development of Evergreen Field has issued a statement to address concerns about the impact to wildlife on the site.

“The development has been designed to help promote wildlife with bird and bat boxes, hibernacula and hedgehog highways and sensitive wildlife friendly lighting strategy. With over half of the site being handed back as public open space, we’ve included native wildflower planting, nature pond and a mini beasts trail providing logs, insect hotels and rocks for invertebrates to thrive and help contribute to a developing local wildlife. Construction will be in accordance with the planning permission including the Ecological Impact Assessment. A Construction Management Plan is to be approved by Redbridge Council prior to any building works starting on site and contact details of the site manager posted at the front entrance,” said a spokesperson for Caerus Developments, who were awarded planning permission to build a block of flats on the site last month.

Construction of a four-storey development – including a children’s day nursery on the ground floor and 24 flats above – is expected to begin later this year. A new public open space equating to just under half the total site area will also be created.

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.

Inspector Chris Russell, who oversees neighbourhood policing for north Redbridge, reflects on the Hainault sword attack and emphasises his desire for police officers to earn trust in the community

Hello again from your Neighbourhood Inspector for north Redbridge. I was asked following my last article in March: “What does north Redbridge actually cover?” So, to clarify, I cover all Redbridge wards north of the A12 (plus Wanstead Park ward).

In April, we saw the horrific sword attack in Hainault where 14-year-old Daniel Anjorin tragically lost his life on his way to school. Four other people suffered serious injuries, including two police officers, who were bravely protecting the public and attempting to arrest the attacker. My Safer Neighbourhoods Teams (SNT) were on scene within minutes, along with colleagues from emergency response and the town centre teams, and the suspect was arrested and taken to custody. He has since been charged and remanded to prison and now awaits trial. My thoughts go out to all those who were affected by this horrendous crime and continue to piece their lives back together since that awful day. For anyone who would like support following the attack, whether directly or indirectly impacted, please call Victim Support (0808 168 9111), who offer a range of services that may help.

In the aftermath of the attack, we immediately ensured Hainault and the surrounding areas received additional, daily reassurance patrols, along with setting up the Hainault Engagement Hub at Hainault Library in collaboration with our partners from the council. This provided a fixed location the community could attend to speak with local officers. We also held discussions with local faith leaders, schools and at youth engagement events, and door-knocked in the area so everyone could access a police officer and raise any concerns they had.

Policing does not work in isolation, and we are reliant on you, the public and our partners in almost everything we do. Community engagement and partnership work are the foundations of what neighbourhood policing is all about and are key in maintaining the Peelian principles of policing by consent. Although much has changed since the creation of the Metropolitan Police Act back in 1829 (often referred to as the creation of modern-day policing), Sir Robert Peel’s principles remain just as relevant today and form the basis of what my neighbourhood teams do. 

We have fantastic officers working in Redbridge who care deeply about improving your quality of life. We attend a variety of community events to see as many of you as possible and hear about your concerns and ideas for safety in your local area. Policing is only successful if we have your support and trust, and I am very conscious that trust is earned.

Local police will be hosting a women’s safety walk and talk event in Wanstead Park on 7 July, departing from the tea hut at 5pm. Visit wnstd.com/police

The East London Shakespeare Festival will stage its last open-air performance of the season in Wanstead Park on 3 August.

“Our productions are family friendly and we welcome everyone to bring a picnic and join the fun!” said Ursula Early and Rosie Ward, who founded the touring festival in 2020. This year’s production is the romantic comedy Much Ado About Nothing, to be performed in the Temple garden at 3pm and 7.30pm. “There’ll be contemporary twists and turns and audience participation.”

Visit wnstd.com/elsf

Wetherspoon has confirmed the 3,200-strong petition opposing closure of The George pub in Wanstead has been discussed by its board, but the company remains committed to selling the pub.

The response came to a letter sent by Wanstead Village councillor Paul Donovan to Wetherspoons chair Sir Tim Martin. In the letter, Councillor Donovan highlighted the “dismay” and “concern” of the local population, as reflected in the petition, at the potential loss of the pub.

“Wetherspoons are known to be sensitive to the concerns of their customers and the well-being of local communities. I know that you have reconsidered closure decisions before, when there has been local support for pubs staying open. Hopefully you may think again with regard to The George,” said Councillor Donovan.

In response, a Wetherspoons spokesperson said: “We can confirm that The George is currently on the market however it will continue operating as a Wetherspoon pub until is sold and we very much hope that you will still enjoy the pub until then. We understand that you, the pub’s other loyal customers and our dedicated members of staff will be disappointed with this decision, however JD Wetherspoon has made the decision on a commercial basis which we believe is in the best interest of the company as a whole. We hope customers will choose to visit our other pubs in the area. We can confirm that staff will be given the opportunity for re-employment at other Wetherspoon pubs in the event that their pub is sold. Nonetheless your comments and observations have been noted, and thank you for the petition which has been discussed with the board.”

To view the petition, visit wnstd.com/savethegeorge

To contact Wetherspoons, email customerservices@jdwetherspoon.co.uk

Wanstead High School is seeking donations of unwanted school uniform items.

“We are coming to the end of the school year, so would all parents and guardians of Wanstead High School pupils please check their uniform, and if any garments are no longer needed, please consider donating them to the pre-loved school shop to help other children and raise money for the school,” said Dennis Weeks, chair of the PTA.

he pre-loved school shop is located outside Wanstead Leisure Centre.

Visit wnstd.com/whsuniform

In the eighth of a series of articles, Revd James Gilder of Wanstead Parish explains plans for a Heritage Lottery Fund bid to repair the tower of Christ Church, which is struggling to stay upright

Thanks to everyone who has dropped in to see us since we started opening Christ Church every weekday from 9am to 3pm. It’s really lovely that so many people pop their head through the door, often to have a bit of peace and quiet in the middle of a busy day. I would say that Christ Church offers a cool haven from the heat, but it’s been more of a roof against the rain this year!

Many people in Wanstead have a connection with Christ Church. Maybe they were christened here, married here, or attended funerals here. For a church which is actually pretty well hidden from the High Street, it is a very well-known local landmark, and a constant in the lives of many Wanstead folk.

Sadly, Christ Church is under threat. Having been built in mid-Victorian times (and, unfortunately, having been built slightly on the cheap!) the building is showing its age – particularly the glorious tower and spire, where the coping stones on the buttresses are now struggling to keep the weight of the tower upright. Did you know that Christ Church’s tower is actually built of London brick? Its stone cladding is really just an elaborate facade, designed to make it look more ancient than it is! Unfortunately, the stone that was used has been eroded by the weather (and not helped by some bad repair work in the 1950s, which used the wrong cement), and all this means we are looking to find £600,000 just to keep the tower in one piece. This is a very daunting sum of money for a voluntary organisation to find – and what we are hoping to do is apply to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for help.

Unfortunately, the HLF ends up with far more bids than they can possibly support – so we need to put together a really good bid to ensure we get the cash. The HLF will only give churches money if the project benefits the wider community too, and that’s fair enough. So, we are looking at finding ways of altering the nave interior to be more flexible, so it can also be used by community groups during the week. The plan is to preserve the very best of the existing interior – everything in the chancel and the lady chapel would remain exactly the same, for example – whilst brightening up the back of the church and creating some new usable space, with better heating, lighting and access.

It’s quite exciting (and a bit daunting) and I’m really pleased that lots of people from the community have already come forward to help, because whilst change to a building we love is always hard, there does seem to be a general recognition that, if we don’t act now, there is sadly a possibility we won’t have this lovely building at all in 10 years’ time. If you would like to be involved in helping with this project, please do let us know – we’d be very happy to hear from you!

To contact Reverend James Gilder, email wansteadparishadmin@uwclub.net

Rain gardens are helping to reduce flood risks across Redbridge while boosting biodiversity.

“The eco-friendly water drainage systems feature plants, shrubs and other greenery and are designed to absorb rainwater and drain it away slowly to help stop sewer systems from becoming overwhelmed,” said a Redbridge Council spokesperson.

There are now 11 rain gardens across the borough – including one on Deynecourt Gardens in Wanstead – which have the capacity to collectively absorb and store around 113,400 litres of rainwater.

A new website devoted to architecture and architectural history in Wanstead has been launched.

“Wanstead is unique as a London suburb in having a wide variety of buildings of different types and from different eras. Most of the information is already in the public domain, but I wanted to bring it all together as a complete picture and make it easy to comprehend and analyse,” said local resident Ray Weekes, who has a master’s degree in Architectural History from Birkbeck.

Visit wansteadarchitecture.com