Features

In the 18th of a series of articles charting the Wild Wanstead project, green roof expert Chris Bridgman explains how to turn your extension roof into a wildlife-friendly garden in the sky Living green roofs can be installed on most flat or gently inclining roofs. For an average residential extension, the green roof system is just loose laid directly on top of the roofing material as an extra layer. This can be done when building a new extension or retrofitted onto an existing roof. The green roof system is made up of three main components: A root barrier that stops the roots of the plants getting through and damaging your waterproof layer (most new roofing felts are already root-proof so this may not be needed). A drainage layer, which stores water but also lets any rain seeping through the vegetation run off the roof and into the gutters in the usual way. A lightweight growing medium for the plants – small particles of porous material and organic matter, which takes the place of soil. Plants are grown on top with a small gravel border around the perimeter. For low-maintenance options, roofs are usually planted up with sedum, meadow wild flowers or...

In the sixth of a series of articles looking at the developing plans for restoring Wanstead Park, John Sharpe from the Friends of Wanstead Parklands takes a look at the recently published Parkland Plan. Photo of Perch Pond by Christian Moss In the October edition of the Wanstead Village Directory, in his article on the lakes of Wanstead Park, Friends of Wanstead Parklands member Richard Arnopp referenced the development of the Parkland Plan, which sets out in detail the vision for future restoration and management of the park. The latest version has now been published and sets out how the work aspires to improve the park environment and the user and visitor experience. The intention of this article – and the next instalment planned for the December edition – is to summarise these planned developments, which aim to regenerate Wanstead Park (which since 2009 has been on Historic England’s ‘Heritage at Risk’ register) and put it on the map as the main ‘Southern Gateway’ to the wider Epping Forest landscape. The Friends of Wanstead Parklands have worked with the other major stakeholders to best represent park users within the developing framework. However, it is the main landowners – the City of...

Wanstead resident Colin Cronin started organising local Remembrance services several years ago. Here, the former councillor explains why he continues to do so and why such events provide a valuable lesson. In 1922, local residents gathered for the unveiling of the Wanstead War Memorial next to Tarzy Wood. Designed by Forest Gate resident and sculptor Newbury Abbott Trent, it has stood as a permanent reminder for Wanstead residents of those members of our community who have given their lives selflessly during times of conflict. Seventy-five years later in 1997, Snaresbrook’s Garden of Remembrance (off Snaresbrook Road) opened to honour all victims of war. Now we are in the Remembrancetide period, members of the Wanstead community, young and old alike, are once again ready to stand together at the war memorial on Remembrance Sunday and in the Garden of Remembrance on Armistice Day to pause, reflect and pay our respects to those who, for our tomorrows, gave their today. I first began assisting the Royal British Legion in organising the Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day commemorations several years ago, and with the closure of the British Legion’s Wanstead branch some time ago, have continued to organise these annual commemorations ever since,...

A packed hall gave London City Airport representatives a tough time over their expansion proposals at the public meeting in Wanstead last month. John Stewart of campaign group HACAN East reports London City is proposing to almost double flight numbers from their current level, end the 24-hour weekend break and operate more planes in the early morning and late evening. Airport representatives came under particular fire during October’s public meeting for not knowing the noise impact for Wanstead if the plans went ahead. The proposals are part of London City’s Master Plan, which sets out its vision for the airport until 2035. Tim Halley, Director of Planning at London City, argued the airport believed the demand would be there to justify its expansion proposals. But he was at pains to stress they were only proposals and that the airport would take account of responses to the consultation before coming out with any final plans. The consultation ended on 18 October. The airport expects to publish a final Master Plan towards the end of this year. If it decides to go ahead with any of the expansion proposals, it will need to draw up a detailed planning application to go before...

Housebound residents need not have their reading material confined to free magazines that drop through their letterbox, says Rose Meredith, Home Library Service Volunteer Co-ordinator for Redbridge Libraries Now the autumn is here, it’s that time of year when we start thinking about the gradual approach of winter and spending more time in the comfort of our own homes. Some of our residents may start thinking about having falls and slips in icy winter weather, and this can make winter a time of staying at home a lot more, perhaps not having much of an opportunity to socialise. This can happen at any stage of our lives, especially if we are recovering from illness or perhaps a fall, which has resulted in a temporary disability keeping us indoors. The Redbridge Library Service – which is managed by Vision RCL on behalf of Redbridge Council – can help with your reading needs if something occurs in your life which, for any reason, means you are likely to be at home for the winter or for any longer period of time. It might be that you have an operation and know it will take several months to feel yourself again and have the...

Wanstead residents Dennis and Paul Weeks of North London Loft Rooms were delighted to receive an invitation for inclusion in The Parliamentary Review. Michelle Harris reports Being featured in the government’s Parliamentary Review is an accolade reserved for companies at the pinnacle of their industry. The purpose of the publication is to support the sharing of experience within various sectors and the subsequent raising of industry standards. Companies featured also have the facility to raise their profile as a respected company within their industry. A company’s presence serves on multiple levels, whether to share a ‘best practice’ or to even criticise the government (from their professional perspective) if deemed relevant and in the national interest. Dennis and Paul Weeks of North London Loft Rooms were keen to participate and humbled by the invitation for inclusion. Despite being a relatively new company (founded in 2015), they have quickly gained a reputation for high-quality building services that are helping local residents (as they are based in Wanstead) to boost their property values by approximately 20%, whilst adding almost 50% in size. Most important are the benefits enjoyed by homeowners for an improved lifestyle quality. For those looking to enhance their home within their...

Councillor Jo Blackman explains why Wanstead’s Woodbine Day Centre is so important, and encourages anyone interested in volunteering at this adult social care venue to pop in. Bins and roads – that’s often what springs to mind when people think about how their council tax is spent. However, the biggest proportion of the council’s budget actually goes on children’s services and social care. In 2019/2020, the council will spend more on adult social care than roads and the environment combined. With an ageing population, the demand for adult social care continues to increase, and this is sadly not being met by central government funding, with cuts of £166m to the council’s overall budget since 2010 and continued uncertainty about future funding. Faced with these pressures, the council was forced to implement the social care charge levy introduced by the government to support and protect vulnerable residents. Adult social care work often goes unseen by residents unless they or their family or friends find themselves needing support. In Wanstead Village, we are lucky to have a vibrant adult social care day centre. At the front line, Woodbine Centre staff have had to adapt to the continued pressures from a squeeze on...

Sir Winston Churchill was a world leader, statesman and local MP. Ahead of a talk at Wanstead Library about the iconic politician, Jef Page, president of the Ilford Historical Society, reviews the life of a man he believes was the ‘greatest Briton of all’ Winston Spencer Churchill (1874–1965) was a larger-than-life character, lucky to be born in Blenheim Palace with a massive silver spoon in his mouth, son of the beautiful American heiress Jennie Jerome (he worshipped her) and Lord Randolph Churchill. Winston attracted both tragedy and attention – hardly surprising as he liked smoking massive seven-inch long Cuban Havana cigars and stuck up a V-sign second to none. From being reviled in Tonypandy, South Wales where, as Liberal Home Secretary, he sent troops onto the streets during the miner’s strike (1910–1911) and promoted the disastrous Gallipoli and Dardanelles campaign in 1915, he led Britain to victory and triumph in 1945. He almost seemed to like war. He fought at the battle of Omdurman (1898), as a journalist was at Spion Kop (1900; as was Gandhi) and escaped from a prisoner of war camp during the Boer War. And he got himself onto the front line of the Western Front...

In the fourth of a series of articles looking at the work of Age UK Redbridge, Barking & Havering, Janet West looks back at a week of activities that marked Older People’s Day From 30 September to 6 October, Redbridge celebrated Older People’s Day by putting on activities throughout the week. Older people had the opportunity to pick up lots of information on a whole variety of topics. There was a safety themed day at Central Library in Ilford with presentations from the Fire Service, the Bogus Caller Partnership, Trading Standards, Safer Transport and the Old Protectors. Throughout the week, Redbridge Vision offered free places on several of their exercise classes from rowing to Nordic walking. Central Library also hosted Silver Tuesday, with laughing yoga, a talk by Jeff Page about leisure history and a very enjoyable interactive songs and stories session by local resident Jane Grell. Meanwhile, Wanstead’s Allan Burgess Centre was also busy with events. Redbridge Music Lounge popped in for a singalong session with service users on Monday and another fabulous poets’ corner took place on Tuesday, led by Alexandra Wilde of the Redbridge Rhymesters and accompanied by children from Snaresbrook Primary School. Alexandra holds these sessions...

In the third of a series of articles looking at the redevelopment of Whipps Cross Hospital, Wanstead resident Charlotte Monro explains why campaigning must continue, despite government funding confirmation At a public meeting on 15 October, Barts Health Trust presented their current proposals for the new hospital and the other developments on the Whipps Cross site. There was intense interest from the 200 people attending, with pertinent and searching questions asked, and discussions continued as the meeting was breaking up. Whipps is one of the six hospital developments the government has announced will benefit from a share of a £2.7bn funding allocation. A letter has been received from the Secretary of State for Health confirming government support for a ‘brand new hospital’. “We don’t know how much yet,” said Alastair Finney, Director for Whipps Cross Redevelopment, but the total divided by six gives £450m. Not nearly sufficient for a new-build hospital, he added, so the campaign needs to continue (please sign our petition!). At the meeting, we heard the reworked proposals for the strategic outline case: A hospital of similar total size as the current one but compacted to a smaller footprint (about a fifth), between eight and 12 storeys...

Practising qi gong promotes positivity, wellness and a balance in life, says Mina Wolton, who offers classes in the ancient mind-body-spirit system at Wanstead House My name is Mina and I have lived in Wanstead for nearly 25 years. I am a qi gong practitioner and have recently started teaching classes at Wanstead House Community centre. I have always been interested in health and wellbeing and played sports all my life. However, ill health in my thirties led me to exploring complementary therapies, particularly qi gong. What they all had in common was working with a life force and being able to tap into that energy to energise, heal and create harmony within. Qi gong, which was documented in China over 2,000 years ago, has become popular throughout the world for its many health-giving benefits. Qi (pronounced ‘chi’) is the Chinese word for life force or energy (also known as ‘ki’ or ‘prana’). Nature is infused with qi, which is why when we are by the sea, near mountains, in forests, gardens or just looking at clouds floating in the sky, we experience qi at a deep level and feel the restorative power of that energy field in nature. Gong...

As part of Black History Month events taking place locally in October, chef Lyndon Wissart will be explaining how he managed to cure his Type 2 diabetes in 105 days… without medication My name is Lyndon Wissart and I am from London. I have recently undertaken a journey, which has involved tackling and overcoming struggles with my health. In 2015 I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, with indications that I was in a danger zone with the symptoms involved. Since then I have managed to cure myself of diabetes without medication. I have also written a book called The Inspired Diabetic, which details my experience in the hope I can help others with the same condition. Though my parents are of Jamaican heritage, I am originally from London, and have been trained as a professional chef with 30 years of experience under my apron in restaurants and hotels around the capital. According to current statistics, people from a BAME background have a greater chance of developing Type 2 diabetes (people of African-Caribbean decent are three times more likely). It has become an increasingly undeniable truth that the diabetes epidemic affects people globally and the fact that these unfortunate circumstances can...