Features

Elsa Arnold is well known locally for her work as a mental health advocate and for Spreading Kindness Through E11. Here, she outlines her work with east London charity Freedom 2

Ron Filer is well known on the local art scene, running classes at Wanstead and Aldersbrook venues. As he gradually retires from tutoring duties, he is keen to find a replacement that will keep the community creating

The ninth Wanstead Fringe – which runs from 9 to 25 September – will include the first Wanstead Book Festival. Here, Giles Wilson offers a glimpse of some of the writers taking part

Redbridge Museum will open a new permanent exhibition later this year exploring 200,000 years of local history. In the seventh of a series of articles, Museum Officer Nishat Alam looks at some of the items on show

Redbridge's Disability Awareness Festival returns to Christ Church Green this month. There will be information stalls, activities for people of all abilities… and a Freddie Mercury tribute act, says Sophie Donelan

Tim Harris from the Wren Wildlife Group describes some of our most fascinating insects: dragonflies and damselflies, which thrive in Wanstead Park, like this four-spotted chaser photographed at Perch Pond

Iain Ambler updates on the recently restored Redbridge Lane West allotment pond, which has become a biodiversity hotspot. Photo by Stephen Lines

Property sales should be plain sailing, but can sometimes go wrong. Not telling the truth about some aspect of the sale can cause great upset, says Derek Inkpin from local solicitors Wiseman Lee

Marian Temple explains how the Wanstead Community Gardeners responded to last month’s heatwave and urges us all to spare a drop of water for our communal gardens and young street trees

From small spotty-eyed drone flies to a rare jumping spider and pink moth, chair of the Wren Wildlife Group James Heal reports on some of the highlights of the recent bioblitz in Wanstead

With the dry, cracked bed of the Ornamental Water once again on show, Benjamin Murphy, chair of the Epping Forest & Commons Committee, explains the inherent difficulties in managing the water levels of Wanstead Park's lake system. Photo by Geoff Wilkinson

Pottery is the perfect way to combat the stresses of modern life, says Julia Dreher, who is excited to be launching her Wanstead Pottery business from her new garden studio during next month's Fringe

Redbridge Museum will open a new permanent exhibition later this year exploring 200,000 years of local history. In the sixth of a series of articles, Museum Officer Nishat Alam looks at some of the items on show

Darren Morgan from Age UK Redbridge, Barking and Havering highlights the importance of keeping active, and invites over-55s to take advantage of the charity’s activity centre in Wanstead

Wanstead resident Eileen Flinter documents her experience of sponsoring two Ukrainian refugees, and says she has nothing but admiration for the fortitude and pragmatism her guests showed

Following the success of the Aldersbrook Eco Fair in March, the Friends of St Gabriel’s are planning their next fundraiser, a pop-up fine dining event. Georgina Brewis talks to leading local chef Duncan Cruickshanks. Photos by Iain Smith

Following recent changes from Her Majesty’s Land Registry, Derek Inkpin from local solicitors Wiseman Lee looks forward to a new era of electronic signatures in the conveyancing world

Streets Apart – run by the charity Living Streets – arranges weekly walks for the over-65s. Here, project coordinator Tracey Chitnis explains why she is keen to see the initiative continue to grow over the summer

The Wanstead Park Liaison Group has identified three ways to improve protection for the park’s iconic bluebells, which have drawn increasing visitor numbers in recent years. Richard Arnopp reports

In the 13th of a series of articles by plot holders at Redbridge Lane West allotments – which are under threat from the adjacent gas works – Roger Snook explains the ongoing frustrations with Cadent

Handwriting is not an art of the past, says Maura Wilson, and this year’s Wanstead Fringe is giving Wanstead’s primary school children the chance to prove it with a handwriting competition

From oxeye daisy to yellow rattle, Richard Strange explains how he has been increasing floral diversity on Christ Church Green as part of Wanstead’s Grow Zones initiative. Photo by Geoff Wilkinson

Chair of East London Humanists Paul Kaufman introduces prize-winning author Yvvette Edwards, who will be speaking about how she discovered writing – and humanism – at the group’s July meeting

Swan Sanctuary volunteer Louisa Green reports on a busy few weeks of swan rescues in Snaresbrook and Wanstead, and welcomes any donations to the swan ambulance fuel fund. Photo of Eagle Pond by Geoff Wilkinson

In the 12th of a series of articles by plot holders at Redbridge Lane West allotments – which are under threat from the adjacent gas works – Stephen Lines talks about negotiating with nature