May 2026

Wanstead House Community Association is seeking applications for two part-time job vacancies.

Assistant Session Manager

• Monday to Friday, 4pm – 7 pm / £16 p/h
• The purpose of this post is to ensure the smooth and efficient management of sessions taking place in the Centre. This includes providing a warm welcome to and supporting Association members, hirers and class tutors as well as visiting members of the public.
• Click here for full job description.
• Click here for an application form.
• Closing date 4pm, Tuesday 25 May 2026

Assistant Caretaker

• Friday & Saturday 8 am – 1 pm / £15 p/h
• The purpose of this post is to open up the Centre and ensure all rooms and facilities are ready for the planned activities of the day. This includes ensuring that a safe and welcoming environment is provided to Association members, hirers, and class tutors and all visiting the Centre. At certain times of the year additional sessions on Saturday or Sunday may be offered.
• Click here for full job description.
• Click here for an application form.
• Closing date 4pm, Tuesday 25 May 2026

The Friends of Wanstead Parklands is calling for more dog waste bins to be installed in the park.

“Currently, large swathes of our park have no access to bins at all, making it difficult for visitors to dispose of dog waste responsibly and increasing the likelihood of non-compliance… Among other locations, we would like to see bins at all of the main points of entry and at regular intervals around the Ornamental Water,” said a spokesperson.

In the 54th of a series of articles, David Bird discusses the work of Redbridge Music Society and introduces Sandra Porter, John Rogers and Emilie Capulet, who will be performing in Wanstead this month

An essential aim of Redbridge Music Society is to enhance musical knowledge and music appreciation within the borough via high-quality, live chamber recitals featuring distinguished musicians. This aim will be realised in Wanstead in May, when mezzo-soprano Sandra Porter, violinist and violist John Rogers and concert pianist Emilie Capulet will perform a programme of mainly French music, including works by Duparc, Satie, Berlioz, Tomasi and César Franck.

Award-winning mezzo-soprano Sandra Porter studied at the Royal College of Music, London, completing her studies there with Dame Felicity Palmer. She has appeared regularly on BBC Radio 3, has sung with the Chamber Group of Scotland, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and others, and has performed at venues such as the Aldeburgh Festival, English National Opera and Opera Holland Park. Her many roles include Bianca (The Rape of Lucretia), Rosina (Il Barbiere di Siviglia) and Suzuki (Madame Butterfly). Sandra also records, teaches and adjudicates, and her recent album, Clara, with pianist Graeme McNaught, received much critical acclaim.

Violinist and violist John Rogers has been a chamber musician throughout his career. Scholarships to the Royal College of Music and the University of Michigan enabled him to receive coaching from distinguished musicians such as Manoug Parikian, Steven Isserlis and Yo Yo Ma, and from members of prestigious string quartets such as Chilingirian, Juilliard, Allegri and Endellion. John has performed, coached and recorded chamber music in the UK, US, New Zealand and Hong Kong, where he was Principal Viola in the Hong Kong Philharmonic. He has worked with the Philharmonia, BBC orchestras, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra with Simon Rattle and others, and for many years with English Touring Opera.

Emilie Capulet is an award-winning international concert pianist, lecture-recitalist and academic with postgraduate degrees in music and literature. In much demand as a soloist, she has appeared in concert halls across Europe, US, Canada, Latin America and Asia. Her many recordings include classical and contemporary works, and the first recording of the complete solo piano music of Henri Tomasi, which received great critical acclaim. She has broadcast on TV and radio and appears live on Sky News as a classical music expert. Currently, Emilie is the BMus (Hons) Programme Leader at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and Visiting Fellow at Keble College, Oxford.

Please come along to experience this fascinating recital that will celebrate music across three centuries. An evening not to be missed!

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

Plans to revamp the hoardings surrounding the Evergreen Field construction site are progressing.

“Residents met in March to discuss ideas for a community art project that will appear on the High Street hoardings. The workshop focused on how the artwork could celebrate local history and creativity. Representatives from the developer MTVH and contractor Skillcrown were present to contribute to the conversation,” said a spokesperson.

A final design will be confirmed before the summer.

Call 07906 541 789

Residents are invited to join a community litter-picking session at Eagle Pond in Snaresbrook on 9 May.

“This is a simple yet powerful way to give back and make a tangible difference… Dress for the weather and wear sturdy footwear. Gloves, litter pickers and bags will be supplied,” said a City of London Corporation spokesperson.

The session will run from 10am to 1pm, focusing on clearing rubbish from the water as well as the surrounding forest. Meet at Snaresbrook Road car park.

Visit wnstd.com/9may26

A new comedy night will launch in Aldersbrook this month.

“Fat Fish Comedy have teamed up with Aldersbrook Bowls Club to bring a brand new professional comedy club night to the area. Our first show will feature top TV comedian Paul Tonkinson, supported by Harry Pettitt, Pauline Eyre and me,” said event host and Wanstead Fringe regular Graeme Mathews, who reached the semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent in 2019.

The event will take place on 8 May from 7.30pm (tickets: £15).

Visit wnstd.com/8may26

A rope fence designed to protect the Skylark breeding grounds on Wanstead Flats has been vandalised twice since installation in February.

“On one occasion, a person with a drill was behaving suspiciously and walked away when approached. A video of the person has been sent to the City of London Corporation, which is investigating. The fencing has since been repaired and there are currently many Skylarks singing on the Flats, so we are confident of a successful nesting season,” said Bob Vaughan of the Wren Wildlife Group.