“When crushed, some types of battery, including those in vapes, can get very hot or ignite,“ said a Redbridge Council spokesperson.
Wanstead Library and several High Street shops provide battery recycling facilities.
Visit wnstd.com/battery
As a South Woodford resident for almost 20 years, I definitely call this part of London home. The sense of community and friends I have made are second to none – especially in hard times. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014 when I was only 36 with two young children. Despite gruelling treatment, the disease recurred in 2022 and is now stage 4 or incurable. However, I refuse to let this scary diagnosis stop me living life to the full.
I have been a runner for over 25 years and am a long-term member of East London Runners, a brilliant, friendly running club based in Wanstead. My only regret since moving to the area was not joining sooner! We meet twice a week for club runs and always welcome new members. Since my second diagnosis three years ago, I have run two marathons, completed the Ride London 100-mile cycle ride, swum two miles in the Serpentine and climbed Mount Kilimanjaro – all with the help of my running club family.
This year, I am raising money for the Maggie’s cancer centre at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, a haven of tranquillity that provides support to all cancer patients and has been a godsend to me and my family over the years. They have given me a place in the London Marathon in April, but being the kind of person I am, I decided to add some more events to the challenge! The first event, in March, is the notorious Orion 15 by Orion Harriers, a 15-mile cross-country race through Epping Forest renowned for its mud and hills. This will be quickly followed by the Camino Gratitude 25, a 25km race from Broxbourne to Stratford along the River Lea. Then, in May, I’ll be doing the Hackney Half Marathon with my 16-year-old daughter. It will be her first half marathon. And the grand finale will take place in Poland with the Warsaw Ironman 70.3 in June. This comprises a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile cycle and a 13.1-mile run. I also recently became an ambassador for 5K Your Way, which is a support group with a difference. We meet on the last Saturday of every month at over 100 parkruns nationwide.
I am doing all this whilst on chemotherapy and targeted cancer treatment, which is not without considerable side effects. I strongly believe exercising helps me cope with these as well as helping with my mental wellbeing. Too many people diagnosed with cancer do not receive the necessary information to maintain an active lifestyle during treatment and beyond. The benefits of exercise to those impacted by cancer are many and include better outcomes, reduced anxiety and fatigue as well as building confidence.
I would be extremely grateful for the support of my wonderful South Woodford and Wanstead community so I can raise as much money as possible for Maggie’s – and if you see me pounding the pavements, do say hi.
For more information and to donate, visit wnstd.com/frith
Light Crimson UnderwingLast summer was hardly a classic and people probably don’t want to be reminded of long periods of cloud, rain and chilly winds. Reflecting this, many people commented on how few butterflies they were seeing. Their near absence wasn’t all down to the weather – the decline in butterfly numbers has been going on for years and is also due to changes in land use and pesticides. Nevertheless, the 2024 Wanstead Butterfly and Moth Report documents 26 different species of butterfly recorded, the same figure as in 2023.
However, for their night-time cousins, things weren’t so gloomy. Local naturalists observed 340 species of moths in 2024, mostly by using special ultraviolet lights to attract them. In so doing, they opened a window on a usually unseen world.
Moths are vital for the natural world. Adults pollinate plants and are an important source of food for our area’s bat population and moth caterpillars are a key component of many birds’ diets. A diversity of moths reflects a diversity of food for their caterpillars to eat. Broadly speaking, the more different types of native plants an area is blessed with, the more varieties of moth will live there. And while clothes moths are a nuisance, 99.9% of moth species have no interest in eating woollen fibres. They eat leaves, buds, lichen and fungi in their larval state (caterpillars) and may feed on flower nectar as adults. So, a varied moth population indicates a healthy environment.
There is a long tradition of observing and recording butterflies and moths (collectively known as the Lepidoptera) in the area around Wanstead Flats and Wanstead Park, which stretches back to the early 1980s. All the data collected is fed into the National Moth Recording Scheme, which has collated more than 34 million sightings to date – vital citizen science data to show which are doing well and which are struggling, and so guide conservation decisions.
In 2024, notwithstanding the weather, the total number of species recorded on our patch was the second highest on record, although that headline figure masks the fact that numbers of many species were down. Despite this, it was an extraordinary year in terms of quality. There was much to celebrate, including the addition of an impressive 30 new moth species to the patch list. These included only the fourth Light Crimson Underwing ever seen in Essex.
But, of course, it’s not only about rarities. Our varied matrix of grassland, scrub, woodland, fresh water and leafy suburban gardens provides food and shelter for a great range of commoner species, all crucial pieces in the jigsaw puzzle that makes up our local ecosystems. And we should never take even the most common for granted; the environment is changing so rapidly at present – mostly for the worst – that we should treasure them all.
To view the 2024 Wanstead Butterfly and Moth Report, visit wrengroup.org.uk
For information on the National Moth Recording Scheme, visit wnstd.com/nmrs
The ‘British Bulldog’ Winston Churchill guided Britain through the Second World War, gave rousing speeches that have gone down in history… and also represented the areas of Wanstead and Woodford as an MP for over four decades.
Winston Churchill was born in 1874 at his family’s ancestral home, Blenheim Palace, in Oxfordshire. He first entered Parliament in 1900 as a Conservative MP for Oldham. In 1904, he switched to the Liberal Party and won the seat of Manchester North West. After holding several cabinet positions, Churchill was elected as MP for Epping in 1924, which incorporated Wanstead and Woodford. He won the seat with a large majority and went on to rejoin the Conservative Party.
Among Churchill’s supporters was Woodford Urban District Council chairman Sir Alfred James Hawkey, the namesake of Sir James Hawkey Hall in Woodford Green, which Churchill would open in 1955. In May 1936, Churchill spoke in favour of the Wanstead and Woodford District Council’s application to become a borough. It was a success, and he presented the new borough with a mace, which is still owned by Redbridge.
After succeeding Neville Chamberlain as prime minister in 1939, and leading Britain to victory in 1945, Churchill became MP for the newly-created constituency of Woodford, which also incorporated Wanstead, following a change to constituency boundaries. He held this seat until his retirement from politics in 1964. While serving as prime minister during the war, Churchill was unable to visit his constituency, but his wife Clementine did, and in 1941, she opened a restaurant in Woodford Green as part of a Ministry of Food initiative. Churchill supported many charitable functions to shore up the war effort. A War Weapons Week was held in 1941 with Churchill as president, which raised over £900,000. Later events, such as a Churchill Week in Woodford, raised £265,108 for the war effort, roughly the cost of 13 tanks at the time. During his time as MP, Churchill maintained a strong majority. He led the Conservative Party back to power in 1951, his second term as prime minister.
A statue of Churchill was erected in Woodford in 1959, with Churchill and his wife present at the unveiling. In 1968, a bust was erected outside the former local Conservative Association in Wanstead (now The Bull).
Churchill continued to represent Woodford even after stepping down as prime minister in 1955 and remained active in Parliament well into his 80s. Churchill died at the age of 90 in 1965, and thousands of people lined the streets to watch the funeral cortege travel to St Paul’s Cathedral. Many of them will have remembered him as the prime minister who won the war, but for residents here, he was the man who had served them and their constituency until the end.
Emily Allen is a freelance writer. For more information, visit wnstd.com/allen
Two aims of Redbridge Music Society are to bring high-quality live chamber recitals to the people of Redbridge and to promote and support new generations of musicians. This month, Daniel Shao and Simon Callaghan will perform a diverse programme of music in Wanstead, including works by Mozart, Debussy and Bizet/Borne (Carmen Fantasy).
Daniel Shao is a versatile British-Chinese flautist. He regularly performs with orchestras, ensembles and as a soloist and was praised by The Telegraph for his “virtuosity, charm and charisma in abundance.”
Daniel studied at the Purcell School, Oxford University and the Royal Academy of Music, graduating with first-class honours and an honorary DipRAM. He has performed with many major orchestras and his awards and recognition include winning the Royal Over-Seas League Competition Wind Prize 2024, being featured as a Classic FM Rising Star 2023 and being televised as a BBC Young Musician Wind Finalist in 2014. As a concerto soloist, Daniel has performed with the Royal Scottish National, Oxford Philharmonic and Czech National Symphony Orchestras. He is passionate about contemporary music and has worked with the London Sinfonietta and the contemporary collective Tangram (Associate Artists at LSO St Luke’s). He also regularly records scores for film and television.
Simon Callaghan is an internationally respected soloist, chamber musician and recording artist. He performs regularly in the UK’s major concert halls and on tours to Asia, North America and Europe; at a recent Husum Festival of Piano Rarities in Germany, his sell-out concert received rave reviews for “technical brilliance.”
As concerto soloist, Simon has collaborated with prestigious orchestras such as the BBC Philharmonic, Ulster Orchestra and Royal Northern Sinfonia. Simon’s broad repertoire encompasses the standard works of the 19th and 20th centuries and he is increasingly concentrating on little-known music by composers such as Rheinberger and Reinecke. Simon is deeply committed to British music and is currently recording a series of world premieres of British concertos with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. He has also made the first recordings of the complete piano music of Rebecca Clarke, George Dyson and William Busch. Simon is currently Artistic Director at London’s Conway Hall, Professor of Piano at the Royal Northern College of Music and an elected Steinway Artist.
Please do not miss this opportunity to hear these two outstanding musicians perform locally this month.
The recital will take place at Wanstead Library on 18 March from 8pm (tickets on the door; visitors: £12; members: £9). Call 07380 606 767. Redbridge Music Society is affiliated to Making Music.
“We created a spacious otter holt for the Roding’s most recent new residents. We used big logs to create an entry chamber and a nesting chamber, and covered the whole thing in branches and earth,” said a spokesperson for the River Roding Trust’s Wanstead and Woodford local group.
The volunteers also created two hibernacula for amphibians and other small creatures to use.
Email river.roding@gmail.com
The Save Our Local Bus Services campaign made great progress in just the first month of 2025. I was first introduced to the group by my friend and joined one of their regular meetings at Christ Church in Wanstead out of curiosity. As a local video producer who covers all topics transport-related, I have, since that meeting, been working on a documentary to inform people across London about the impact of TFL’s bus route changes here and help residents’ voices to be heard.
And so, the moment I heard that Liz Martins, the founder of the campaign, had organised for ITV News to come down to Wanstead on the last day of January, I made sure I was there on that rainy Friday morning to film the entire event. The turnout was fantastic, with a crowd of concerned local residents listening to a panel of varied speakers, including Calvin Bailey MP, a director of the Wanstead Mental Health Clinic and many others. It felt incredibly powerful for the community to come together and speak their mind. Many will agree people’s horrible stories and experiences shouldn’t be diluted by the press and media – people want to know the truth.
The weather hadn’t permitted the gathered crowd of residents to walk all the way down to Wanstead Tube station, but we did get as far as Wanstead Place. The peaceful protest went brilliantly. We stopped traffic to cross the road safely, placards with messages like ‘Shame on TFL!’ and ‘Local Buses For Local People’ being held high in the air, with honks of support from car and bus drivers as Liz made our concerns heard through a megaphone.
After making it back, the ITV crew had a chance to interview a few people, myself included. In their report, which was aired that evening, there was a statement from the TFL press office which claimed that “26,500 more people now live within one bus journey of Whipps Cross Hospital.” We are well aware, though, of the countless disadvantaged people who no longer have simple access to the hospital.
It is so important that you make even a small contribution to this campaign by signing the petition, which takes very little time. Every name counts as we slowly but steadily progress to the goal of 10,000 signatures, which will permit a government response.
Each of the three routes (W12, W13 and W14) should run every 15 minutes in peak hours, and every 20 in off-peak. However, the concern is important nationwide – our campaign wants the government to agree on the fact that local residents must be meaningfully consulted prior to any changes that are made across the UK.
If you are affected by the local bus route changes, submit your experiences to the Save Our Local Bus Services campaign. Visit wnstd.com/busform. To view the campaign’s petition, visit wnstd.com/bus
©Riku Fryderyk“My film features interviews with campaigners, bus trips with affected members of the public and footage from the middle of the campaigning action. I’ve tried to give a full explanation of TfL’s route design flaws, as well as a hopeful message for the campaign group’s success,” said 14-year-old Riku Fryderyk. A Bus Route Change Disaster is available to watch on Riku’s YouTube channel.
Visit wnstd.com/rfyt
Renee Stafford“When my daughter, Renee, left her special needs school, her vibrant social connections faded. That’s why I am launching ArtHouse Social, a space where 18- to 25-year-olds with additional needs can find their tribe,” said Nina Stafford, who is searching for a local venue to accommodate the sessions. A fundraising disco will be held at the Heathcote and Star in Leytonstone on 25 April.
Visit wnstd.com/arth
© Geoff WilkinsonFebruary’s meeting was chaired by the Wanstead Village ward chair and in attendance were residents of both wards, along with an Epping Forest ranger, Safer Neighbourhoods Team (SNT) officers and Councillor Emma Shepherd-Mallinson.
The meeting reviewed the data submitted by the SNTs from both wards in relation to various crimes, including burglary, theft and theft from motor vehicles. Wanstead Village has more incidents in terms of theft and antisocial behaviour, primarily due to the High Street environment.
The attendance of the councillor was welcomed and serves to ensure our local representatives hear first-hand the issues facing residents. A lively debate was had, not only about data analysis, outcomes and potential remedies but also about the need to encourage more residents to attend these quarterly SNT meetings.
Our two wards are deemed to be in the lower percentiles for crime compared to other Redbridge wards. There were 74 crimes reported in Wanstead Village ward in December and 47 in Wanstead Park, compared to 300 in Ilford Town. It was discussed that such low numbers could potentially be attributed to under-reporting, with the belief of residents that police would not attend due to other priorities. Residents tend to more readily report crime and antisocial behaviour on their social networks and local chat groups. Residents at the meeting were therefore encouraged to remind their peers to formally report all crime so the data can better reflect the area and the need for more officers.
At the end of the meeting, both wards agreed on their priorities for the next quarter. For Wanstead Village, that includes reducing traffic offences on the High Street and reducing antisocial behaviour at Snaresbrook station. For Wanstead Park, the priorities include reducing theft of motor vehicles from key streets in the ward (Wanstead Park Avenue and Northumberland Avenue), reducing burglaries and tackling antisocial behaviour on Wanstead Flats.
It was also agreed the next meeting would be a joint one again, but with individual ward meetings still being planned going forwards.
I do hope this article will pique interest and we see more people at the next meeting in May to make a meaningful and effective contribution to improving our community’s safety. As always, it will be a resident-led meeting, and by attending, you will have a say in setting the next priorities for your ward.
The next joint Wanstead Village and Wanstead Park SNT ward panel meeting will take place on 16 May from 7pm at Wanstead House, 21 The Green, E11 2NT.
To contact the local Safer Neighbourhoods Teams, visit wnstd.com/snt
Trinity Hall alongside Holy Trinity ChurchIf approved, Project Arclight will see the church’s 100-year-old Trinity Hall demolished to make way for a three-storey apartment building and nine houses. A new hall, playground and café are also part of the plans, which the church hopes will benefit the wider community. A number of local residents who believe the current hall is a vital piece of local heritage have opposed the plans.
Visit wnstd.com/pa
©Geoff Wilkinson“Residents in Wanstead will be aware TfL made changes to the W12, W13 and W14 routes. I have a commitment the new routes will be reviewed after six months. This time is drawing close, so I want to do a review so I can present evidence to TfL for them to take into consideration when they re-evaluate the routes,” said Prince.
The new routes were implemented in September 2024.