October 2024

The Friends of Wanstead Parklands and Epping Forest have lodged objections to the planning application to build a golf centre on Royston Gardens Open Space.

“It would be damaging to an area of ecological value, adjacent to Wanstead Park. The proposed project is unlikely to be viable in the long term, and its failure could open the way to something even worse,” said a Friends of Wanstead Parklands spokesperson. A petition against the development has received over 3,700 signatures.

Visit wnstd.com/rgpetition

Broadmead Road bridge has reopened to motorbikes and bicycles, but remains closed to cars and heavy vehicles.

“Engineers are currently analysing in detail the results of the concrete testing to assess the weight that can be taken across different parts of the bridge… We will publish a simplified version of the Principal Inspection report by mid-November, along with the full inspection report,” said a Redbridge Council spokesperson.

The 87-year-old bridge has been closed to traffic since July 2023 due to significant structural defects.

Redbridge Council has approved the development of a new Education and Youth Hub on the site of the former Wanstead Youth Centre, which closed in October 2023 for repairs.

The £6.5m project will see the facility remodelled, with the addition of classrooms, a café, playrooms and office space. “We are redeveloping Wanstead Youth Centre to bring an under-used facility back to life,” said Councillor Kam Rai, Leader of Redbridge Council.

Under the plans, the centre’s rear gymnasium will be converted into a dining hall and multipurpose space, which has sparked concern among campaigners. “We are shocked the council approved the option to demolish the only remaining large indoor sports hall in the west of the borough… The other option – to build the classrooms in the smaller gymnasium – was ignored,” said Liz Martins of the Save Our Wanstead Youth Centre campaign.

The new hub is expected to open in September 2025.

More than 100 local residents attended a meeting with TfL last week to highlight the problems caused by recent changes to local bus routes.

TfL bus planner Stephen Walker embarked on a ‘W-bus’ tour with Save Our Local Bus Services campaigner Liz Martins ahead of the event. Mr Walker said September’s cyber attack meant timetables were still unavailable for the W14 service. Regarding calls for improvements, he said: “I’ll have to wait to see the data.” Campaigners have called for him to act immediately.

Local photographer Deepak Dembla recorded the Northern Lights over Wanstead Flats for the second time this year.

“This was a truly wonderful experience. I was out from 9pm until 3am. By the lake, it looked like paradise watching from the copse!” said Deepak, who first captured the phenomenon in May.

The sun is currently near the peak of its 11-year solar cycle, with high solar activity giving an increased chance of seeing the Northern Lights. The current peak is expected to last until mid-2025.

A council by-election will take place in Wanstead Park ward on 14 November.

It follows the resignation of former councillor Bayo Alaba, who became MP for Southend East and Rochford in July’s General Election.

The successful candidate will join the current Mayor of Redbridge, Councillor Sheila Bain, in representing the area.

The candidates are: Forhad Raj (Reform UK), Neil Hepworth (Lib Dem), Sharula Kangle (independent), Daniel Moraru (Conservative), Emma Shepherd-Mallinson (Labour) and Syed Siddiqi (Green).

Art Group Wanstead member Gina Wade has been creating coloured pencil drawings of pets and wildlife since lockdown

I was born in The Netherlands to a Dutch mother and an English father. We spent the next few years in Germany. Then, we lived in Cyprus, Aden and Belgium, in between returning to Holland, where I spent nearly five years at a Dutch school. You may have gathered my father was in the Forces. His last posting was in England, in Upminster. Currently, I live in South Woodford. 

I have one son and three beautiful grandchildren, living in Sydney, Australia. So there is still lots of travelling between visiting family there and the Netherlands, and holidays, of course.

I started oil painting at school in Belgium. Here, in the UK, I did various part-time art courses. Drawing animals was never my thing and I was pretty bad at it, but lockdown started and I saw a picture of a cat which had been done in coloured pencils. After a bit of investigating, I decided to have a go. This got me watching YouTube and Instagram, where there are lots of good coloured-pencil artists giving demonstrations and tips. A lot of them also do classes on Patreon. After honing my skills, I now specialise in drawing pets and wildlife.

I have lived in the area for more years than I can remember, but until lockdown, most of my social life was in London. I have now joined Art Group Wanstead, and was delighted when I sold one of my earlier drawings of a German Shepherd at one of the group’s exhibitions. 

My first cat and dog drawings were started with a box of 24 Faber-Castell Polychromos. The most important thing is shading, lights and darks. I then gradually added to my pencils, buying mostly loose pencils. I now also use Caran d’Ache Luminance 6901 series, Derwent Drawing, Derwent Lightfast and Derwent Studio and Caran d’Ache Pablos. The type of paper is also really important. I started with a pad of Strathmore Bristol Vellum 300 and off I went. The various types of paper I now use are Pastelmat, Derwent Lightfast, Dura-Lar 0.005, Polydraw 0.50 and Grafix 0.005. The latter and Pastelmat are my favourites.

There are different techniques you must use with the various types of paper. Pastelmat is the most forgiving. You can colour light over dark, whereas most of the other papers you can’t. With Grafix, Dura-Lar and Polydraw you have to have a really light touch. I use a mono zero 2.3 eraser and Faber-Castell kneadable eraser. I use them both to not only erase but to also create hairs, shadows and whiskers. A Helix Metal Erasing Shield and Scotch Magic Tape, again to create shadows. I do have an electric eraser but hardly use it. If you are starting out, then this is something I wouldn’t buy. 

So, with all this information, I hope there is someone out there who is going to give coloured-pencil drawing a go!

My ambition is to enter more exhibitions. One of my dreams would be to get something entered in The David Shepherd Wildlife exhibition. Another thing I aim to do is give a drawing to an animal charity for them to auction off. In the meantime, I am doing commissions.

To view more of Gina’s artwork, follow her on Instagram @GinaWade03

Jo Cullen from local solicitors Edwards Duthie Shamash takes a look at some of the legislation which is expected to be introduced as part of the government’s ‘new deal for working people’

The King’s Speech in July confirmed Labour’s commitment to implementing their “Plan to make work pay: delivering a new deal for working people,” which sets out ambitious changes to workplace rules and regulations. 

An Employment Rights Bill will introduce new laws to implement the proposals under Labour’s ‘New deal for working people’. It is expected the new legislation will include:

• Day one rights for all workers: this will cover rights for parental leave, sick pay and protection from unfair dismissal. 
• Zero-hour contracts: banning exploitative contracts, making sure workers have a right to a contract that reflects the hours they regularly work.
• Fire and rehire/fire and replace: ending current practices by reforming the law and replacing the statutory code currently in place.
• Sick pay: removal of the lower earnings limit and waiting period for statutory sick pay.
• Flexible working: making flexible working the default position for all workers from day one of employment.
• Protections for new mothers: strengthening rights making it unlawful to dismiss a woman who has had a baby for six months after she comes back to work.
• Fair Work Agency: creation of a new agency to enforce workplace rights.
• Fair pay agreement: introducing a new agreement for the adult social care sector.
• Repealing the law on minimum service levels in relation to industrial action.
• Simplifying the process of statutory recognition for trade unions.
• Introducing a right for workers and union members to access a union within workplaces.
• A timetable has not yet been published for the implementation of the proposed changes but the promise by Labour to introduce the Bill within the first 100 days of taking office suggests it may be presented to Parliament in the autumn. 

Separately, a draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill will tackle inequality for ethnic minorities and disabled people to create a more equal society and to support a growing economy. The draft Bill will look to expand equal pay protections and introduce mandatory ethnicity and disability pay reporting for larger employers.

Edwards Duthie Shamash is located at 149 High Street, Wanstead, E11 2RL. For more information, call 020 8514 9000 or visit edwardsduthieshamash.co.uk

Local councillors have organised a meeting with TfL officers to to address concerns about the recent changes to the W12 and W14 bus routes.

“As local councillors, we’ve been raising concerns with TfL since these changes were proposed last year, in particular about the impact on the Nightingale estate and access to Whipps Cross. We hope this meeting will offer an opportunity for TfL to hear directly from residents about how the changes have impacted them and that we’ll be able to work together to find a solution,” said Councillor Jo Blackman.

The meeting will take place at Wanstead United Reformed Church at 3pm on Friday 11 October.

Email jo.blackman@redbridge.gov.uk if you would like to attend.

In the ninth of a series of articles, Revd James Gilder of Wanstead Parish introduces two local volunteering opportunities that residents may wish to take part in

There is something about the shortening days of autumn that seems to spur me into action. Looking at the world as it is, it can be easy to feel, occasionally, there is perhaps not much point in action – because everything seems to just get worse! In truth, I guess the stories of things getting better don’t always make for interesting news. 

If, like me, you get that slight itch to do something new, something productive, as the nights get shorter, you might be interested in a couple of things you can volunteer for that will undoubtedly make a difference (though possibly not get you in the news). 

At the Parish of Wanstead, we help to run the Forest Churches Night Shelter throughout the winter months. Starting on 1 November and running through to the start of April, the shelter provides beds and warm meals for homeless people in north-east London. You might recall in the old days we used to run this from the parish halls, but now it is all run in conjunction with the YMCA on Forest Road, Walthamstow. This enables service users to have a proper bed and a shower, as well as an evening meal, and means people don’t have to pack up their belongings every night to travel to a new church hall the next day. Wanstead volunteers’ night at the shelter is Tuesdays. The volunteers cook a meal at home for about 15 people, and then take it along to the shelter in Walthamstow, serve it up and eat with the service users. Afterwards, the volunteers clear up and chat or play some board games with the service users. Volunteers are always paired-up and a professional member of staff is on hand at all times to assist. You don’t need to stay overnight. The meal is usually served about 6.45pm and the shift is over by 9.30pm. Volunteering at the shelter last winter, we were astounded at the amount of homeless people who were well-qualified and who even held down full-time jobs despite not having anywhere to call home. It was a salutary lesson that everyone is only a few unfortunate decisions away from being homeless. People who volunteered really enjoyed the experience and the interactions they had, and we were all on the rota only about five times throughout the winter, so it wasn’t arduous.

There’ll be another volunteering opportunity at Christmas. Last year, we held a free Christmas Dinner on Christmas Day in the parish halls. This was for anyone who wanted to come, with a view that nobody should be alone on Christmas Day. It was a jolly occasion and we had about 30 guests, and excellent food (thanks to The Duke, who supplied all the meat). We’re fully intending to run the same this year. Perhaps you would like to help? Or maybe you would just like to come and eat with us? If you would like to volunteer for either of these initiatives, please let us know – we’d love to hear from you!

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

Amidst concerns over the health of Wanstead Park’s iconic Map Tree, Richard Arnopp takes a look at the 200-year-old specimen. Photo by Geoff Wilkinson

In Wanstead Park, the Long Walk once provided the eastward vista from Wanstead House toward the Ornamental Water. Near the end stands a lone Cedar of Lebanon on the bank of the lake. It is something of a landmark, and the only example of its species in the park.

At some point, this tree acquired the nickname of the Map Tree or the Tree of England, on account of its shape. Viewed from the north, its lopsided profile, with its longest branches spreading over the lake, give it something of the appearance of a map of England and Wales.

The Map Tree also has a pronounced lean toward the Ornamental Water, which appears to have increased over time. This has provoked some concern that time or a winter gale will cause it eventually to topple over. Epping Forest is on the case and Ben Murphy, Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s Epping Forest and Commons Committee, has confirmed they are aware of the problem and the tree has been inspected, revealing damage to major structural roots. Epping Forest’s conservation team are looking at options to prolong the tree’s life as much as possible and will announce their decision later this year. 

The Map Tree is interesting because it must have been planted in the very last days that the gardens of Wanstead were being actively augmented (probably up to about 1818). It appears as little more than a sapling in one of the illustrations (above) of a charming book from 1827 (Rambles in Waltham Forest. A stranger’s contribution to the triennial sale for the benefit of the Wanstead Lying-in Charity). This shows the Grotto (to the right), the Straight Canal (centre) and tip of Rook Island (left). The perspective may have been tweaked a bit to get them all in.

Cedars of Lebanon, frequently mentioned in the Bible, were introduced into this country about 400 years ago and became very popular ornaments in parks and gardens (though they have an alarming habit of shedding branches without much warning). The Map Tree is over two centuries old, but hasn’t grown very large, as I assume the gravelly soil doesn’t suit it. 

It would be a great pity if the tree were to be lost, but it was planted very close to the bank and, as it has grown, it has become unstable. If the branches over the lake had been cut back at an earlier stage it might have stabilised (while regrettably losing some of our western counties). It may be too late for that now, but we must await the verdict of the arborists.

For more information on Wanstead Park, visit wnstd.com/fwp

In the fourth of a series of articles charting the experiences of a Wanstead-based travel writer, Carole Edrich – who is now a TMA Travel Writer of the Year finalist – recalls caving in Slovenia

So, here I am. Stuck. Not writer’s block stuck. The occasional, unexpected, ADHD overwhelm makes that a mere aspiration. I am physically, scarily, logistically stuck. Humiliatingly stuck. Much worse than being stuck in public. I’m jeopardy stuck. I’m with a bunch of other journalists, and the thing about journalists is that if they can’t think of anything else to write about on this press trip, they’re going to write about me. 

It’s dark and we are caving. We traipse through slippery, dripping dampness when the going’s good, and squish through tight, sloshy wetness when it’s not. Over the centuries, the karst caves under Predjama Castle have dissolved into huge caverns with stalagmites and stalactites big as trees, tiny tunnels with underground springs of fresh, super-cold water, and everything in between. The general public isn’t allowed here. It’s scientists only, and our special optional treat.

I’m not in Slovenia for its nature, its history or architecture, or the famous castle above. I’m not here for the impressive and super-accessible public caves with their huge flat walkways and special options for those with impairments. I’m not here for the hotel or the spa or the food. Not even for the olms; tiny baby dragons found only in this area. Olms may be cute and amazing. They may catch my imagination with their mysterious life cycle. I may enjoy the challenge of photographing them. But they’re not what my commission’s about. I’m here to cover this caving experience for the hardest-core, hard-core adventure magazine I’ve ever written for. I’ve fought tooth and nail to become their extreme sports and adventure specialist. If this article’s good enough, the role will likely be mine. Original photos aren’t vital, but if I get them, I can sell another photo-story. I know my low-light photography is excellent, so it might even net me a prize.

But I’m stuck. Not because I don’t fit through the gap. I can get myself through it head-first or feet-first; not crawling, but squirming. I’m stuck because of my pride. I didn’t need to bring my Nikon. It is a valued gift and has won me several competitions. I’m stuck because I can’t bring the camera with me. I could tether it and drag it behind me, but it’s my pride and joy, and the only one I have. Faced with the choice of completing the caving or keeping my camera, I wuss out.

Years later, and I work with three cameras, lots of insurance and an extra old one for dodgy situations. Nobody wrote about me, and although I wrote for Real Travel regularly, I didn’t push for the title because my pride had taken a blow. Lesson learned. You’d think. Just last week I reached the finals in the TMA Travel Writer of the Year Awards. Hopefully, my pride in this achievement won’t get me stuck anywhere, but if it does, it’ll make a great story. Right?

To read more of Carole’s work or to listen to her podcast, visit caroleinnit.com