Features

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Features

Stand up, Speak up

Stand-up comedian Stephen Catling will be performing in Wanstead this April as part of the Laugh-Able Comedy Night to mark Autism Awareness Month. He believes people with autism need to speak up  I am autistic and came from the North to live in London in 2016. I have been a comedian performing regularly on the London and general UK circuit since 2017. I am known for being an alternative act, who uses clowning and inventiveness on stage on the mainstream circuit. I’ve achieved several accolades including at the Stand-up for Cider comedy competition (finalist, 2023) and from both the South Coast Comedy Awards and the Student Comedy Awards (semi-finalist, 2022). My earliest pathway into comedy was through watching Monty Python in high school, where friends and I wrote our own Pythonesque parodies of biblical stories, such as Noah’s Tardis. But I didn’t start performing solo until I joined the Lancaster University Comedy Institute during my studies in biomedical science and psychology. There I discovered a particular aptitude for surrealism. When I started performing in London, I began to hone my craft by incorporating other forms of comedy, such as clowning. I am now taking my solo show Beehavioural Problems: Something Something...

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Features

A load of rubbish

If we all love living in Wanstead as much as we say we do, then we all need to do more about the litter problem. It’s not the council’s job to clear up what we can’t be bothered to, says Jennie O’Beirne

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Features

Park life

In the second of a series of articles featuring the images of local photographers who document the wildlife of Wanstead Park and the surrounding area, James Ball presents his close-up of a long-tailed tit

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Features

Modern privacy

Derek Inkpin from local solicitors Wiseman Lee looks at the concept of private nuisance and reflects on a recent court case which determined Tate Modern’s viewing platform invades the privacy of nearby flats

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Future for Whipps

In the 12th of a series of articles looking at the redevelopment of Whipps Cross Hospital, Charlotte Monro reflects on NHS funding issues, strike action and the need for improvements in end-of-life care

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Features

Listen and learn

In the 30th of a series of articles, David Bird discusses the work of Redbridge Music Society and introduces violinist Ana Popescu-Deutsch and pianist Leona Crasi, who will perform in Wanstead this month

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Features

Austria in Aldersbrook

Redbridge-based Valentine Singers are celebrating 25 years of choral performances. Their anniversary year begins in grand style in Aldersbrook this month with Music from Vienna. Christine Gwynn reports

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Committed to Wanstead

Those recently moved to Wanstead and long-term residents alike are invited to join the Wanstead Society committee and help protect, preserve and improve our local area. Eileen Flinter reports

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Features

Women in the frame

2023 marks 100 years since women were permitted to join the Woodford and Wanstead Photographic Society. To mark International Women’s Day this month, club chair Sue Rosner will be giving a talk about the group’s female members, past and present

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Studying Wanstead

Eddie Heath chose the gentrification of Wanstead as the subject of his A level geography coursework. Here, the 18-year-old student presents some of his findings

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Flight plans

A consultation on the planning application for London City Airport’s expansion plans runs until 17 March. If approved, more planes will be flying over Wanstead, says John Stewart of campaign group HACAN East

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Features

History comes home

Redbridge Museum will open a new permanent exhibition in the spring exploring 200,000 years of local history. In the 13th of a series of articles, Museum Officer Nishat Alam looks at some of the items on show