March 2026

The Eagle Lane subway was cleaned up last month by Redbridge Council’s new Rapid Response Clean Team.

The new service uses a specially equipped vehicle. “The vehicle is designed to handle a wide range of issues, thanks to being kitted with a range of equipment, including brooms, cleansing apparatus and jet wash capability,” said a spokesperson.

The subway – which runs under the Central Line – will receive a weekly cleaning visit. Street cleansing issues can be reported online.

Visit wnstd.com/reportit

As local election day approaches, Calvin Bailey MP urges residents to ensure they turn out to vote and encourages us all to be more engaged with local politics

On 7 May 2026, Wanstead will join the rest of London in heading to the polls to vote in the local government elections. Except many of us won’t. Local council elections have notoriously low turnout: only 45% of the Wanstead Park ward electorate voted in the 2022 local elections, with Wanstead Village voters seemingly less engaged with a 43% turnout (although these figures were higher than many of the other wards across Redbridge). This is all despite the fact our councils have a huge impact on our everyday lives and our community.  

As an MP, I know first-hand that local councillors often have a far greater ability to influence the day-to-day lives of constituents than I do. Your local council is responsible not only for waste collection and planning applications, but also for local education, social services, social housing, traffic management, environmental health and the provision of cultural services, amongst a whole host of other things.

Your local councillors represent the voice of your community when deciding how these services should be run. Councillors act as the link between the public and the council they are elected to serve. Despite this, many people don’t appreciate the enormous impact their local councillors can have on the quality of life in their community, and low voter turnout likely stems from a lack of awareness about the responsibilities of local government.

As with MPs, councillors are usually members of a political party, though some may choose not to belong to any party and are called independents. Redbridge is divided into 22 wards with three elected councillors for 19 wards (including Wanstead Village) and two councillors for three wards (including Wanstead Park), making 63 councillors in total.

Local councils across the country face significant financial pressures, limiting their ability to operate effectively. Outer London boroughs such as Redbridge have experienced pressures relating to population growth, housing patterns and demand for service. Despite these constraints, councils must continue to deliver vital public services, manage local infrastructure and continue to help shape and structure our communities.

No council is perfect, and that’s partly because far too many people disengage from local politics. If we want better local government policy, services and representation, we must take part in improving it. We can’t watch from the sidelines; we must use our vote. So, if you are not already on the electoral register, please register. The deadline to register for the May local elections is 11.59pm on 20 April, so don’t leave it until the last minute!

You can register to vote if you’re a British citizen or an Irish citizen. For more information, visit wnstd.com/register

A public meeting will take place this month to discuss plans for an art project to revamp the hoardings surrounding the Evergreen Field construction site.

“The High Street hoardings could offer a canvas to reflect Wanstead’s character and creativity throughout the construction period. I’ve had some really good traction for the idea and would like to take this forward,” said local resident Bronagh Byrne, who is coordinating the initiative.

The meeting will take place on 21 March from 10.30am to 12.30pm at Christ Church.

Call 07906 541 789

Redbridge Council’s domestic abuse service Reach Out is seeking donations of toiletries.

“We support residents in Wanstead and across Redbridge. As well as emotional support, the service also provides practical assistance through the Reach Out shop, offering free items for those in crisis. Community donations are vital to keeping the shop stocked. We welcome adult items, including toothpaste, deodorant and sanitary towels, as well as nappies and other baby essentials,” said a spokesperson.

Visit wnstd.com/reachout

In the 52nd of a series of articles, David Bird discusses the work of Redbridge Music Society and introduces Madeleine Perring and Matthew Clemmet, who will be performing in Wanstead this month

One of Redbridge Music Society’s central aims is to introduce, promote and support new generations of young musicians. In Wanstead this month, soprano Madeleine Perring and collaborative pianist Matthew Clemmet will perform a variety of songs and arias, including those by Mozart, Debussy, De Falla and Grieg.

Soprano Madeleine Perring started her musical career as a chorister, and subsequently head chorister, at Wells Cathedral. Later, at the Royal College of Music (RCM), she graduated with first-class honours and, continuing there under soprano Rosa Mannion, gained a Master’s degree with distinction. She has been winner at a number of competitions, including the RCM Lieder Competition and the prestigious Royal Over-Seas League Singers Final 2025.

Madeleine has taken part in masterclasses with Sir Thomas Allen and tenor Nicky Spence, has performed operatic soprano roles, notably in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte, and recently took part in the Wigmore Hall French Song Exchange, performing at Wigmore Hall and the renowned Salle Cortot in Paris. She recently joined the Royal Academy Opera Studio for which she will perform as Micäela in Bizet’s Carmen and will join the Academy Song Circle for performances at the Leeds Lieder Festival and the Wigmore Hall. Madeleine is currently a Garsington Opera Emerging Artist, an Andrea Bocelli Foundation Scholar and a Phillip and Dorothy Green Young Artist.

British collaborative pianist and chamber musician Matthew Clemmet read music at Christ Church, Oxford where he held academic and instrumental scholarships and graduated with a first-class degree in 2024. Whilst at Oxford, Matthew studied piano with Anna Tilbrook, worked as a répétiteur for student productions of Le Nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni and frequently performed around Oxford as a soloist and accompanist. He made his concerto debut in 2024 playing Grieg’s A minor Piano Concerto with the Oxford University Philharmonia.

Matthew is a Shipston Song Festival Young Artist and won the pianist prize in the RCM Lieder Competition. He has performed in masterclasses at Wigmore Hall and accompanied Madeleine Perring’s winning recital in the Royal Over-Seas League Competition. He is currently pursuing postgraduate studies at RCM under the tutelage of Simon Lepper, Roger Vignoles and Kathron Sturrock, and is Russell Race Scholar for the 2025–26 academic year.

Please come along to hear and support these two outstanding young musicians.

The recital will take place at Wanstead Library on 17 March from 8pm (tickets on the door: £12; members: £9). Call 07380 606 767. Redbridge Music Society is affiliated to Making Music.

An embroidery workshop inspired by women who have sparked change will take place at Wanstead Library as part of Women’s History Month celebrations.

“Learn about influential women and draw inspiration from their words, stories and impact. You’ll be guided through simple embroidery techniques to create your own embroidered hoop featuring empowering quotes or original designs,” said a spokesperson. The family-friendly workshop will take place from 1.30pm on 31 March (£3 per embroidery set).

Visit wnstd.com/threads

In the 19th of a series of articles charting Cadent’s impact on Redbridge Lane West allotments, Sally Parker reports on the displaced plot holders who are still waiting to return five years on

Five years ago, in March 2021, plot holders at Redbridge Lane West allotments were given the upsetting news that gas company Cadent intended to take over the site to carry out upgrade works to the adjacent gas compound.

After a campaign and very well-supported petition (more than 4,000 signatures in two weeks), Cadent had to change their plans to use the whole allotment site and instead were granted permission to use a smaller part of the site. After a while, plot holders learnt the upgrade work included the replacement of the security fence surrounding the Cadent site. This work required a slice of allotment land to be taken and added to the gas compound permanently. We were told the planned work would take two years to complete, during which time nine plot holders would lose their plots. Boundary trees and habitats would be removed and the whole area stripped and concreted over to provide Cadent’s works compound.

Planning permission was eventually granted in December 2022, although nine directly affected plot holders had to vacate their plots earlier in summer 2022. The abandoned plots quickly became overgrown, but clearance work and tree felling did not start until October 2024, well over two years after plot holders had been forced out. Three-metre-high hoardings were erected in April 2025 prior to ‘construction activities’ starting.

Four of the nine plot holders who lost their plots were comparatively fortunate. They were offered vacant plots elsewhere on the site. Others decided to leave all together and others agreed to take a ‘two-year holiday’ as proposed by Cadent. That two-year break has become four years and the displaced plot holders are still waiting for news of when they will be able to return. Cadent’s online timeline has not been updated since February 2024. It says ‘landscaping and planting’ will take place between January and April 2026, although there has been no sign of this happening.

In February, we received our first communication from Cadent since last August (despite a promise of monthly updates). It said ‘the majority of work has been completed on site. However, we are still undergoing work at the allotments to ensure the safe running and reliability of the gas mains’. There is no information about a completion date.

If the restored allotment plots are not available this spring, it will mean the displaced plot holders will have lost five annual harvests. Cadent previously told us that March 2026 was the end of the regulatory period for the work to be completed. Condition 13 of the planning approval says the allotment land must be reinstated to its former condition ‘within 20 months of commencement of the construction’. Sadly, the way things are looking, this does not seem likely.

For more information on Cadent’s plans, visit wnstd.com/cadent

A celebration of Redbridge’s second-place award in the New Year’s Day London Parade took place at the Town Hall last month.

We were presented with a beautiful medal by the Mayor of Redbridge. It was an honour to be involved and the £10,000 prize money will go to a number of charities,” said Maria Sanchez, owner of Wanstead-based Treehouse Nursery Schools, who organised Redbridge’s ‘Save the Earth’ themed display at the parade.

All London boroughs are invited to the annual parade to demonstrate the city’s diversity.

Three English Longhorn cows finished their seasonal stay at Wanstead Park last month.

“We are grateful to the Friends of Wanstead Parklands and our cattle volunteers, who helped ensure the wellbeing of Lazy, Kite and Jolly whilst they went about their important business grazing the acid grasslands. Thanks to the cows, the anthills remain open and the dung beetles will continue to thrive, helping to preserve the delicate balance of Wanstead Park’s ecosystem,” said a spokesperson for the City of London Corporation.

A website has been launched to celebrate the architectural significance of The Shrubbery, an iconic Grade II listed residential building in Wanstead.

“The website will be a place to learn more about the building’s history, its design and the story behind it, as well as to keep the local community informed as restoration progresses,” said residents and directors Rohini Wahi and Scott Bartle.

Built in the 1930s, The Shrubbery is located on Grosvenor Road, just behind Wanstead High Street.

Visit theshrubberye11.co.uk

Residents have raised £5,000 to fund specialist legal advice on the future use of the former Dover Road church hall in Aldersbrook.

“The Council is treating the hall as if it can operate as a place of worship, despite evidence it historically functioned as a broader community hall. This matters because a live planning application could enable more intensive use, increasing footfall and parking pressure to an already constrained road,” said a spokesperson for Dover Road Community Action Group.

Visit wnstd.com/dover

Local poetry group the Redbridge Rhymesters will be meeting for a creative writing session in Wanstead on 10 March.

“Our theme will be music, but participants can also write on any other topic they fancy. Plus, we’ll be joined by pupils from Snaresbrook Primary School for this event,” said group founder Alexandra Wilde. The free session will take place at the Allan Burgess Centre from 10am and is open to anyone over 55.

Call 020 8989 6338