The Guide Dog Training School in Woodford Bridge is seeking local residents to become volunteer ‘boarders’ and give a temporary home to one of their dogs while it is being trained. “The dogs live with their boarders for varying periods from seven days to seven months,” said a spokesperson for the centre, which pays for all expenses during the stay. Volunteers must be able to bring their dog to the school between 7am and 9am each morning and collect it between 4.30pm and 7pm. Email redbridge@guidedogs.org.uk...

Powers to tackle anti-social behaviour in the west of the borough have been extended after residents overwhelmingly supported Redbridge Council’s proposals to update a Public Space Protection Order for the area. The new order includes additional restrictions, including begging, public urination, loitering and spitting. “Public concern prompted a consultation with residents, which received 1,693 responses with an overwhelming majority in favour of all the restrictions,” said a council spokesperson....

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...

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...

Plans to run a three-day music festival on Wanstead Flats in September 2020 have been withdrawn by organisers MAMA Festivals. The event – which would have been attended by up to 50,000 people – had already received approval from the City of London Corporation. “This will come as welcome relief to residents who were concerned about the impact of the proposed festival on their neighbourhoods as well as the environmental damage it was likely to cause to this area of nature conservation,” said Councillor Sheila Bain....

Repairs taking place at Wanstead Park’s historic Temple are set to continue. “As well as painting, the contractors have carried out repairs to the columns and tympanum and repointed brickwork. But additional problems have been found, and the work will take longer than expected,” said the Friends of Wanstead Parklands. The work follows recent refurbishment of the toilets, which were in poor condition. CCTV has also been installed outside the building to deter vandalism and misuse. The Temple was built around 1760 by John, 2nd Earl Tylney of Castlemaine and originally housed a menagerie. It has since been used as accommodation for keepers and is now a visitor centre, open on the first full weekend of every month from 10am to 3pm. Call 020 7332 1911...

Four members of Wanstead Cricket Club's women's team will be representing England in the Indoor Cricket Masters World Series in South Africa next week. Saba Nasim, Natasha Bourke, Nanette Kritzinger and Jen Liu will be in Cape Town for the tournament, which runs from 19 to 26 October. "I am thrilled to be chosen to represent England in the indoor World Cup in Cape Town. I first started playing the indoor game in 2014 and it was a fun experience. The skills needed are different as it is fast paced and everyone has a part to play as each player has to bowl and bat in each game. I have learnt a lot about my indoor game this past year training with the more experienced players. Hopefully we can do well and bring home the trophy! I know everyone has worked very hard and we...

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...

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...

David Rosenberg is a lifelong campaigner against fascism and racism, and at this month’s East London Humanists meeting, he will be giving his perspective on the scourge of anti-Semitism and inviting discussion. After the horrors of the Holocaust were exposed to the world, most people thought it inconceivable that anti-Semitism could surface again in any serious form, but anti-Semitism has proven to be a light sleeper in Britain. And while abuse and attacks targeting Muslims and refugees are more commonplace, the number of anti-Semitic incidents in Britain in recent years has begun to rise. It has rarely been absent from the headlines, not just because of the reported incidents, but because it has become a political football. I grew up as a Jew in inner London, then later in Ilford. From around 16 years old, I became an anti-racist activist. I instinctively associated British anti-Semitism...

In the fifth of a series of articles looking at the developing plans for restoring Wanstead Park, Richard Arnopp from the Friends of Wanstead Parklands brings us up to date on hopes to resolve the problems with the park’s lakes The lakes in Wanstead Park are the most visible remaining features of its past as one of this country’s great landscaped gardens. All completely artificial, they are now nearly 300 years old, and for most of their history have suffered from fluctuating water levels. As the Friends have described in previous articles, this has been due to several factors: The failure of systems designed to supply water to the lakes from outside the park. The loss of much of the natural catchment area to development since 1900. The introduction of modern drainage systems and other services around the park, which has lowered the water table and...

In the 18th of a series of articles, David Bird discusses the work of Redbridge Music Society and introduces us to Spanish saxophonist Manu Brazo, who will be performing at Wanstead Library this month. The current aims of Redbridge Music Society are to promote and support talented young musicians in the early years of their careers and to provide a diverse range of musical genres to the Redbridge public. This month, outstanding young saxophonist Manu Brazo, together with award-winning piano accompanist Bryan Evans MBE, will perform music by Vaughan Williams, Verdi (Traviata Fantasy), de Falla, Gershwin and others. Twenty-six-year-old Manu Brazo was born in Utrera (Seville). After completing his undergraduate studies under Juan Jimenez at the Manuel Castillo Conservatory of Music in Seville, he continued his studies at London’s Royal College of Music (RCM) for a Masters in Performance degree. He made his concerto debut...