January 2026

A community project is being planned to revamp the hoardings surrounding the Evergreen Field construction site on Wanstead High Street, next to Christ Church Green.

“The hoardings could offer a canvas to reflect Wanstead’s character, creativity and community spirit throughout the construction period,” said local resident Bronagh Byrne, who is coordinating the initiative. “I contacted Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing Association [the developers] last November and they have been supportive and open to working with the community on this idea. The project is still at an early, exploratory stage and I’d love to hear from local residents, groups and organisations who might be interested in getting involved.”

A four-storey development, including a children’s nursery and 24 flats, is being built on the site. The work is expected to be completed by late 2027.

Call 07906 541 789 or email brobyrne@hotmail.com

Redbridge was awarded second place in the London Parade on New Year’s Day, with a ‘Save the Earth’ themed display.

“I’m incredibly proud of the Redbridge team and everyone who helped bring our parade entry to life. Securing second place is a wonderful achievement… and I’m delighted the £10,000 prize will go directly to supporting my chosen charities,” said Mayor of Redbridge, Councillor Beverley Brewer.

Since 1997, all London boroughs have been invited to enter the parade to demonstrate the city’s diversity.

Former Aldersbrook Primary School pupil Ezra Mayers made his first senior team start for West Ham United earlier this month, helping his side to a 2–1 win over Queens Park Rangers in the third round of the FA Cup.

“Walking out of the tunnel for the first time, through all the bubbles and the fans singing, was very special, and something you don’t get when you come on as a sub,” said the 19-year-old Wanstead-born defender.

Ezra joined the club’s Academy of Football at the age of eight and signed his first professional contract in January 2024.

For the 10th year running, the Wanstead Community Gardeners have brought the Wanstead station geraniums inside for the winter.

“It’s the perfect place for them. Four or five troughs sit on the ledge by the window. Lots of light, frost-free but not warm… They flower all winter. One would have thought the idea to be a no-brainer, but it wasn’t always like that. When I first asked, TfL staff looked very doubtful. We brought them inside anyway, and now they’re firmly part of the Wanstead scene!” said Marian Temple.

Redbridge Council has issued a statement on High Street market stall applications.

“The proposed fruit and vegetable stall [outside The George and Dragon] was withdrawn and the Greek food stall [outside Tesco] did not meet the excellence criteria and was refused… Redbridge Council continues to welcome high‑quality applications that will help strengthen and diversify our street trading offer, ensuring a vibrant and buoyant local market scene.”

Consultation is underway for new applications, including a Sicilian coffee cart outside Wanstead station and a fruit juice stall outside Oxfam.

Visit wnstd.com/marketstalls

Comments can be emailed to licensing.authority@redbridge.gov.uk 

Redbridge Council has passed an emergency motion prioritising nature in the borough.

It followed the presentation of a 1,725-strong petition – sponsored by Wanstead Climate Action – at last week’s Full Council meeting.

“The passing of this motion is excellent news. It shows the council is listening to residents on environmental issues and has responded to the demands of petitioners. However, the proof will come in the practice. There needs to be a definite benchmarked plan with adequate resources provided to address the biodiversity emergency we all now face. The matter is urgent and cannot be put off any longer,” said Councillor Paul Donovan.

Redbridge Council has welcomed additional funding announced in the 2026/27 Local Government Finance Settlement.

The council will now receive at least £63m more over the next three years.

“This will allow us to protect and invest in your services… My next priority is securing funding from the government to rebuild and reopen Broadmead Road Bridge,” said Councillor Kam Rai, Leader of Redbridge Council.

One writer, one Interrail pass and a wildly over-ambitious, 37-stop journey to test railway accessibility in Europe. Wanstead-based travel writer Carole Edrich presents the first instalment of her Big Rail Story

It doesn’t take a genius to predict that writing about a 17-day, 37-stop rail tour in one feature might be a challenge. With 1,000 words for everything, no context, introduction or ending, just the trip in its entirety, that’s 13 words per theme. So, I’m clearly not a genius!

I’ve wanted to cover railway accessibility in Europe for a very long time. Desperately, passionately and ultimately impractically. I’ve been working on it for years. Luckily, I have a Schrödinger’s travel column. I might know the locations and even the theme, but like the cat in the box, until the piece achieves its final form, it exists in a superposition of witty narrative and total disaster. There’s literally no way of knowing what the content will be.

I did it! Rail Travel as a Radical Form of Self-Care was in Disability Review Magazine last month. In my head (and all the filing), it’s called Big Rail. I’m not a genius, remember? If I am, it’s the kind of genius who plans a 37-stop trip without considering her word count.

This is the beginning of a much longer series where I’m not stuck to 13 words for each station and each trip between them, where I can explain how smells alone make Brussels North feel rather scary and Brussels South like a trip to a favourite aunt. This is the fuller memorandum, and where the Big Rail Challenge story begins.

I’ve never understood why people get super-early flights. They have to start far too early, spend more money than they’ve saved on the flight on the taxi to the airport, travel with other tired and moody people and can’t properly appreciate their first day in a new place. I thought of this when booking Eurostar. Deliberately got the second train out of St Pancras so I could comfortably get there by Tube.

On the day, there was a Tube strike. I told myself I’d walk to Stratford Station, but found myself booking a cab. Consoled myself with the knowledge that since my first-class, 14-travel-day Interrail pass included – and cost the same as – a return Eurostar trip, all other travel would be free. I was wrong. Magnificently wrong. Wrong in ways I had never imagined. Genius? Me?

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Nine in the morning at St Pancras International is where past tense ends and present begins. Where plans meet reality. Where the route I spent over five days researching meets Europe’s incontrovertibly inconsistent interpretation of ‘accessible’, ‘on time’ and ‘destination’. Where 13 words per segment is as far from my mind as it’s possible to travel. The most mindful, mindless, meandering, muddled, marvellous train trip of my life. My Big Rail Story starts here.

For relevant links to the places, to read more of Carole’s work or to listen to her podcast, visit wnstd.com/edrich

In the third of a series of articles featuring images by the Woodford and Wanstead Photographic Society, Anuraj Theivendram explains his passion for canine portraits

As publicity officer of the Woodford and Wanstead Photographic Society, I’ve felt privileged to share stories in this series about how photography connects us with our community. In earlier articles, I explored how images can celebrate local heritage and inspire creativity within our club. In this article, I highlight a passion that has personally brought me both joy and purpose: volunteering my photography skills at two remarkable dog shelters, Love Underdogs and All Dogs Matter.

Love Underdogs began after witnessing the harsh conditions faced by dogs in Romania, inspiring a mission of compassion and change. With the support of UK volunteers and Romanian partners, they’ve given countless dogs a second chance, turning despair into hope. Their team provides veterinary care, behavioural support and lifelong rescue backup, ensuring every dog has the best chance of finding a loving home.

All Dogs Matter is a dog rescue and rehoming charity working across London to transform the lives of unwanted and abandoned dogs. Guided by care, commitment, collaboration and determination, their team and volunteers ensure every dog, regardless of age or breed, has the chance of a safe and happy forever home.

At its heart, photography is more than documentation; it is an art form that reveals emotion, character and story. Through light, composition and patience, my objective is to capture portraits that show each dog not simply as an animal in need, but as an individual with personality, resilience and charm. Volunteering in this way has been deeply rewarding. It’s a privilege to use my photography skills to help these underdogs shine, and to support shelters that believe, as I do, that all dogs matter.

If this series has inspired you with the power of photography, why not join the Woodford and Wanstead Photographic Society? Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned photographer, we offer a welcoming space to learn, share and make a difference through images.

For more information on the Woodford and Wanstead Photographic Society, visit wnstd.com/wwps

January is often called ‘divorce month’ because of a spike in divorce enquiries. Benjamin Carter of local solicitors Edwards Duthie Shamash explains what to expect from your first meeting with a divorce solicitor

It is generally recognised that divorce or separation is one of the most stressful events that can take place in someone’s life, with only the death of a spouse or close family member being ranked higher.

You can get divorced in England or Wales if all of the following are true: you’ve been married for over a year, your relationship has permanently broken down and your marriage is legally recognised in the UK (including same-sex marriage).

The process will very often involve interaction with a divorce solicitor and the purpose of this article is to set out what might be expected during that first meeting. As a first point, it should be stressed that most divorce solicitors are easy-going, sympathetic and understanding. Your solicitor will tell you what you need to bring to the meeting; this is normally just your passport and a bank statement for ID purposes. It is also helpful if details of your assets can be prepared in advance and set out on a single side of paper.

One of the first things your solicitor will be thinking about is whether there are protective steps that need to be taken. This may include an application for a non-molestation injunction order if you feel there is a risk your spouse’s behaviour is deteriorating to such an extent you need protection.

The other issue will be whether the family home is in joint names. If it is in the sole name of your spouse, this should ring alarm bells; your spouse could seek to raise further funds by way of remortgage or even try to sell the property without your knowledge. To protect your position, your interest in the property should be registered with the Land Registry.

If there is a risk your spouse may be seeking to transfer assets out of the jurisdiction of the court or trying to diminish the value of any assets, then consideration will need to be given to the making of an application to the court for a financial injunction order, whereby your spouse’s assets are frozen.

Your solicitor will generally be unable to give a view as to what the outcome of your case might be in terms of how the assets may be divided until such time as they have full disclosure of your spouse’s financial circumstances. This may be disappointing but such a view cannot be given without a clear picture of the overall wealth of the family.  Any agreement as to how the assets are to be divided must be set out in a court order before the deal becomes binding.

It is also necessary to start the divorce process itself, which will lead to a final order of divorce. This can now be done online via the gov.uk website.

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

The Parish of Wanstead choir is running a composition competition to mark their 150th anniversary.

“You are invited to submit an anthem of three to five minutes, with the text to be chosen by the composer. It should be suitable for a number of occasions throughout the church year. The first performance will be at Evensong on 12 July, when we’ll be celebrating our 150th anniversary,” said Alison Wells.

The winning anthem will receive a £1,000 prize.

Closing date is 28 February.

Email wansteadparishchoir@gmail.com

Derek Long tells the story of East Side Jazz Club, which started in 1994 under the leadership of former Wanstead resident Clive Fenner and has gone on to become a well-respected venue on the London jazz scene

Once upon a time, some 30-plus years ago, there was a philosophy lecturer who decided he wanted to learn to play drums. He started playing in the 70/80s blues/rock genre, but always wanted to play jazz, so he signed up for lessons. After a lot of hard work, he had the confidence to play in public.

The next move was to find a way of playing club dates, but he had trouble getting gigs with existing bands. He took a crazy leap of faith and organised a ‘club’ of his own; a room at the Heathcote Pub in Leytonstone to play with friends and colleagues, with a hope that people might want to come and listen.

That was Wanstead resident Clive Fenner, who for many years lived in a flat above the ladies dress shop on the High Street. He started his club on a very low budget with his own drums and a piano with a German-sounding name that was actually made in China, but the musicians he brought built that gig in the Heathcote into a popular local event. Until, so the story goes, the pub decided his patrons were too interested in the music and not spending enough money at the bar! So, he moved to a larger room at The Lord Rookwood pub by Wanstead Flats, and East Side Jazz Club became a regular Tuesday night gig there for over 10 years. Many Wanstead residents, fans from the Essex fringes and beyond came to see great musicians play to a live audience.

Clive was a hustler and persuaded some of the best musicians in the field to play with him, as long as he could always be on drums. Most famously that included local superstar Kenny Wheeler, a world-class flugelhorn player.

After several years of successful gigs, The Lord Rookwood closed down in dubious circumstances; padlocked, with the piano inside, requiring a cleverly mounted expedition to rescue it. Clive eventually settled on a new venue, the Ex-Servicemen’s Club (now The Social) on Harvey Road, Leytonstone, and it has since grown to be a well-respected venue on the London jazz scene.

When Clive sadly died some four years ago from prostate cancer, a group of his friends decided the club couldn’t die with him, and East Side Jazz is now more active than ever. It will be part of the London Jazz Festival this year, booking top UK and European players, plus young musicians starting their careers, every Tuesday night. That old Chinese piano has been replaced by a beautiful Yamaha that sounds great every time it is rolled out. In 2026, the club will be hosting musicians at the top of the UK jazz list, including Tony Kofi, Zoe Rahman, John Etheridge and many others.

Getting to the club from Wanstead is very straightforward, just a single stop away on the Central Line or 100 yards from the W13 bus stop on Harvey Road.

For more information on East Side Jazz Club events, visit wnstd.com/jazz