December 2025

The hall belonging to St Gabriel’s Church in Aldersbrook has had a big renovation this year. It’s all part of a refurbishment project ahead of celebrations to mark the venue’s centenary in 2027, says Georgina Brewis

There has been significant work to improve the hall at St Gabriel’s Church this year. Removing the old stage has allowed for expanded and more accessible storage to be installed for the benefit of the very wide range of community groups that use the hall every day. Importantly, disabled access has been improved.

These building works represent the latest stage in an ongoing refurbishment project, which is on track for completion in 2027 to mark the centenary of the hall’s opening. The project started in 2023 with the installation of solar panels on the roof of the hall, and from the beginning, has been driven by a goal of making it more environmentally sustainable and more accessible for users.

The money has been raised by the church and the Friends of St Gabriel’s through a range of community events and crowdfunding via the Big Give. We were also successful in securing a total of £40,000 in small grants from the National Lottery Community Fund, the Benefact Trust, the Garfield Weston Foundation and the Bernard Sunley Foundation.

The Friends are delighted to announce that in future the hall will be known as St Gabriel’s Community Hall, reflecting its importance at the heart of Aldersbrook and Lakehouse for nearly 100 years. Father Martyn Hawkes said: “I’m very happy to report that the Parochial Church Council has approved the rebranding of the hall. I’d like to thank the indefatigable volunteers within the Friends of St Gabriel’s, especially Richard Pratley, Willa King and Rusty Livock. The story doesn’t end here, however, as future works to complete the internal upgrade in time for 2027 are likely to cost another £40,000.”

To support the next stage of fundraising, it has been decided to relaunch the Friends of St Gabriel’s scheme, inviting people to pledge at least £2 per month by direct debit. These supporters will receive a 10% discount on event tickets and merchandise. Fundraisers planned for next year include a beer and comedy night with celebrated local comedian Laura Smyth and friends on 17 January and a Ceilidh on 21 March.

We will again mark Local and Community History Month on 7 May, when Jane Skelding, Mark Gorman and Peter Williams will share new research on the Aldersbrook and Lakehouse estates in the 20th century.

As in previous years, the Friends of St Gabriel’s have teamed up with local designer Muriel & Me to sell limited edition Aldersbrook baubles, tea towels and coasters in aid of the refurbishment work. Look out for these online and at the St Gabriel’s Christmas Market on 5 and 6 December (see page 77), where you can also buy vintage wares and Christmas goodies, taste delicious food and drinks and even meet Father Christmas!

For more information on the Friends of St Gabriel’s, visit wnstd.com/fstgab

A Christmas market will take place on Wanstead High Street this month.

Stalls will be open from 10am to 4pm on Saturday 20 December. “It will be a family-friendly, joyful event, with an emphasis on bringing the community together, shopping local and bringing in much-needed festive cheer. There’ll be music, festive stalls, food and activities for children,” said market organiser Usman Karim.

The Christmas market is in addition to the regular monthly market on Sunday 7 December.

Visit wnstd.com/market

Redbridge Council has published a Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) priority action plan.

It follows an Ofsted report which highlighted widespread failings in education, health and social care, with inconsistent access to support affecting the experiences and outcomes of children with SEND.

“The plan outlines the actions we will take to make the required improvements,” said a spokesperson.

Visit wnstd.com/sendact

A local photographer will give a talk on street photography at a Woodford and Wanstead Photographic Society meeting this month.

“I’ll cover how to photograph your community. I will talk about my passion for documentary photography and explain why I use black-and-white film in vintage cameras some of the time and digital colour and video other times,” said Russell Boyce, whose presentation will take place at Wanstead House on 8 December from 7.30pm (visitors welcome; booking required).

Visit wnstd.com/wwps

With a 20mph zone due to be implemented across the Wanstead Park ward and a consultation for a Wanstead Village 20mph zone underway, Councillor Jo Blackman explains why 20 really is plenty

Redbridge Council recommitted to the Mayor of London’s target of Vision Zero – to eradicate deaths and serious injuries from London’s roads – as part of its recently adopted Sustainable Transport Strategy. Every death and injury is one too many, with often devastating consequences for victims and their families.

One of the key tools councils have to make roads safer is speed limits, and Redbridge Council is looking to expand 20mph zones, with a number of schemes recently or currently under consultation. Wanstead Park ward recently backed the 20mph proposals, which are due to be implemented in the coming months. Plans are currently out for consultation for similar schemes in Wanstead Village and South Woodford wards.

Highways officers have analysed speed data to identify where traffic calming is needed to encourage compliance with the new limits. Based on this analysis, proposals include speed humps on some residential roads and speed cushions (smaller humps that emergency vehicles and buses can navigate) on main roads. Monitoring will continue post-implementation to better understand compliance and any further measures needed.

The most recent data from TfL shows 20mph schemes contributed to significant reductions in injuries, including a 40% reduction in the number of people killed, a 75% reduction in the number of children killed, as well as a 35% reduction in collisions and a 36% reduction in casualties. Counter-intuitively, 20mph speed limits have been shown not to significantly increase journey times. This is because most delays are caused by stopping at traffic lights and congestion. We’ve all seen cars speed up only to grind to a halt at the next set of lights. Unfortunately, councils don’t have the powers to install speed cameras or issue fines for speeding. So, we rely on TfL for cameras and the police for enforcement and do all we can to encourage them to make better use of their powers. We are actively working with TfL, GLA, the Met police and other councils to improve the enforcement of speed limits. We are also making the case to the government for council enforcement.

We also promote Community Road Watch schemes, where residents work with the police and use police speed cameras to identify speeding vehicles who are then sent advisory letters. A similar scheme exists called Junior Road Watch, where children get involved. Whilst not a fine, these schemes have been shown to make a difference, in particular, when drivers are lectured by children.

I know speeding and dangerous driving are a concern to many residents, so I encourage everyone to ensure they make their views known through the consultation process. And help us to make our roads safer.

For more information and to take part in the consultation, visit wnstd.com/20mph