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As part of her Spreading Kindness Through E11 initiative, anti-bullying ambassador Elsa Arnold launched an ‘outreach for loneliness’ project earlier this month.

“We held an event at The Duke, where children designed Christmas cards and stockings, which we filled with gifts for the residents of Cambridge Nursing Home,” said Elsa. “The stockings were delivered by local families, who also spent time at the home to spread Christmas cheer… I would like to thank The Duke and the wider community for their enthusiasm in getting involved.”

Henry Scott stood as an independent candidate for the Leyton and Wanstead constituency in December’s General Election.

Having recently turned 18, he was the UK’s youngest candidate.

“The election has been brilliant, and it’s given me a lot of experience, but also educated me a lot on the issues in our area and in the country. From the homeless to business owners, everyone has problems that need to have a change in the way they are dealt with… I was surprised at some of the abuse myself and other parties received, but I’ve been told that’s just how politics works… I am definitely going to run for a councillor position next time. The campaign has spurred me on and built me up with enthusiasm,” said Henry, who received a 1% vote share with 427 votes.

Residents are invited to get into the spirit of Christmas with a series of festive events in Wanstead Park on 22 December.

“Wrap up warm and gather at the tea hut at 10am to enjoy a slice of cake and something warming. Join in the carols, accompanied by the glorious sounds of Aldersbrook Brass Ensemble echoing across the Heronry Pond,” said event organiser Gill James. From 11am to 2.30pm, families are encouraged to continue the seasonal celebrations at the Temple. “Children can enjoy stories and Christmas crafts, and everyone can listen to folk music and ceilidh band Storm in a Teacup and local musicians Cliff Oliver and David Thornett playing seasonal melodies on the keyboard. The surprise performance will be a 15-minute Christmas carol.”

All events are free, with donations to Shelter and Friends of Wanstead Parklands.

Wanstead Library will host a Christmas rhyme time session for children under five this month.

“Come along to this extra special festive rhyme time with a special visit from Santa. Enjoy rhymes, songs and stories with your child and meet other parents and children,” said a library spokesperson.

The event will take place on 18 December from 2pm to 2.30pm (free). Regular rhyme time events take place at Wanstead Library on Wednesdays (2pm to 2.30pm) and Fridays (11am to 11.30am).

Call 020 8708 7400

Local resident Frank Charles is seeking donations of new toys or books for his annual Christmas visit to Acorn Children’s Ward at Whipps Cross Hospital.

“The presents will go to children aged zero to 16 years who will be in hospital over the festive period and beyond, with this being the 15th consecutive year that I have delivered toys there,” said Frank, who founded the Frank Charles Give A Gift Appeal in 2004. Donations can be left at Wanstead Pharmacy, 75–77 High Street, up until 5pm on 20 December.

Visit frankcharles.org.uk

Wanstead Society chairman Scott Wilding explains why the group’s social events are just as important as their work to protect, preserve and improve the local area

The Wanstead Society was formed in 1997 with the aim of protecting and enhancing the built environment in Wanstead, Snaresbrook and Aldersbrook. But for a long time now, we have aimed to bring the community together through a series of annual social events in local businesses.

We have long sought to enhance the local environment by working with developers to ensure good design in new buildings, by planting trees in public spaces and funding gardening schemes across the area. But there is little point in improving the area if we don’t bring the people who live in it together.

This year, we held a summer social in the Nightingale pub, and a winter one in More Italy. Both laid on great food and a welcoming atmosphere, and we would like to say thank you to every pub or cafe that has held one of our socials. We are lucky to be spoilt with such good choices in such a small area.

These are informal events with free nibbles and a drink provided by us. We have been overwhelmed by the support from local businesses who have offered us rooms for free and discounted rates on food and drink. This is our opportunity to thank Wanstead Society members for their support and offer a chance to meet other members for a catch-up over a few informal drinks.

Ideally, we would like to have a social event every quarter in a local venue and open the society up to more people interested in what we do. Our aim is to hold a different event in a different part of Wanstead throughout the year. This is not only our chance to showcase what we do and bring people together to discuss local issues, but also to showcase a local business and what it can offer. The High Street, and its shops, cafes and restaurants, are more than just businesses. They are part of our community too. We need to support our many independent businesses as much as possible, and what better way than over a glass of wine and some good food?

The Wanstead Society has long campaigned for good urban realm and quality design for our area, but there is little point in protecting the fabric of a place if the people who live in it don’t feel part of a community.

Wanstead is lucky in that, unlike many parts of London, it has a thriving community. We hope we can play a small part in bringing people together and showcasing our fantastic local businesses.

If you would like to help us organise a social event, or offer your business as a venue, please let us know and together we can continue to help our community grow.

In the seventh of a series of articles looking at the developing plans for restoring Wanstead Park, John Meehan, chairman of the Friends of Wanstead Parklands, looks at what has been achieved in the park so far and explains what is still to come, and invites anyone who cares about the park’s future to become a member. Ornamental Waters photo by Christian Moss

The present campaign for Wanstead Park was started in 2005. Initially an ad hoc committee of concerned local people, the founders delivered a successful lottery-funded project to raise awareness of the park. About a decade ago, we reactivated a membership-based group called the Friends of Wanstead Parklands, which had been dormant for some time.

The Friends has grown into a dedicated group of volunteers, which works tirelessly with the City of London and other stakeholders to improve the Wanstead Park experience – both for its human users and resident wildlife!

The Friends has constantly been implementing small, much-needed projects to improve the park, for instance, a successful bid for £8,000 of Tesco funding to pay for new picnic tables and benches by the tea hut. They also paid for the restoration of the antique tables in the Temple.

More recently, the Friends also convinced the Field Studies Council to run a two-year education programme in the park for local schools and children, and they are currently agreeing a sponsorship with the Corporation to provide additional signage to help people navigate the park.

We have already been successful in convincing Redbridge to put signage on roads leading to Wanstead Park, which are now in place.

The Friends also runs events throughout the year, including children’s events at the Temple, talks by historians and historical novelists, information stalls at local fayres and shows, music concerts, quiz nights, walks and an upcoming Christmas event at the Temple.

One of the most important jobs the Friends do is to keep the local community informed of the park’s history, ecology and events through a variety of media. Our website is very informative and well used and we also produce four newsletters per year for members. However, our most impactful work is on social media, where the Facebook page has 1,366 members and the Twitter account has 1,867 followers (and 4,465 tweets).

In recent years, our work has focused on attracting a substantial funding package from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and we have played a very active part in shaping and producing a Parkland Plan to guide that work, in partnership with the Corporation and others.

The latest draft of the Parkland Plan has been completed and was featured in the November Wanstead Village Directory, whereas the implementation of the lottery bid awaits the structural assessment of the four lakes in the park, which involves checking their stability under flood conditions (see our feature in the October Wanstead Village Directory).

The Friends committee meets every month to coordinate our work. We are now a registered charity, with stated charitable objectives agreed with the Charities Commission and properly maintained accounts.

Our Annual General Meeting, usually held at Wanstead Golf Club, gives regular members and interested members of the public an opportunity to ask questions about the work of the Friends and quiz speakers from the Corporation of London.

If you wish to be involved in the ongoing development of the Parkland Plan, and actively contribute to the thinking behind it and the local community, please consider joining the Friends of Wanstead Parklands.

Redbridge Council is rolling out cycle hangars across the borough.

“The response from residents so far has been very positive, with the vast majority looking forward to having somewhere safe to put their bikes. In neighbouring boroughs, hangars have proved popular and helped foster a cycling culture – hopefully, the same will happen in Redbridge,” said Councillor Paul Donovan.

“If you are interested in having a hangar close to where you live, please get in touch.”

Email jack.redman@redbridge.gov.uk

A performance of The Snowman soundtrack by Redbridge Brass Band will accompany a local screening of the festive film this month.

“That magical sound of a brass band is something many associate with Christmas. It conjures up the aroma of hot chestnuts, tinsel, fairy-lights, carols and, of course, Christmas shopping trips,” said band member Dave Wallace. Three performances will take place at St Gabriel’s Church in Aldersbrook on 14 December (3pm, 5pm and 7pm; adults: £12; under-15s: £6; under-2s: free).

Visit wnstd.com/snowman

Visiting a Christmas market is the perfect way to get into the spirit of things, says Rosie Nolan, organiser of Local Makers Market. Christmas card illustration by Katie Clement

The first event I organised in Wanstead was a Christmas market in 2013. I called it Wanstead Makers Market at the time. I’d just moved to the area and had organised craft markets previously, so thought maybe I could do the same here.

It became a popular and well-attended event, so I then started to find other venues around east London to hold the market. This is when I decided to change the name to Local Makers Market so it was not tied to one location. It has since taken place in Dalston, Hackney Wick and Stoke Newington. Wanstead is the place we hold the most events though and it’s our favourite location!

Wanstead is such a great place for artisan markets as the local community really appreciate handmade products. Many of the visitors to the market comment on the exceptional quality of the stalls and the variety of items on offer. I think the other great thing about Wanstead is that it has a village-like feel and the people here love to attend local events. This is something the traders have also noticed – they always comment on how lovely everyone is in Wanstead! Another reason people enjoy the market is the pop-up cafe, run by local business Herons Nest Bakery. There’s always a queue to get to the fantastic cakes.

The market is curated, meaning a mixture of makers are hand-picked for each event, ensuring different kinds of products and disciplines are on show, such as textiles, jewellery, ceramics and illustrations. Each event also has a range of new stallholders who have never traded with us before. This keeps the markets fresh and interesting.

In the 19th of a series of articles, David Bird discusses the work of Redbridge Music Society and introduces us to local jazz pianist Keith Nichols, who will be performing at Wanstead Library in early December

One of the aims of Redbridge Music Society is to bring high-standard live musical events of all styles and genres to local venues at affordable prices, performed within a social and genial atmosphere. On 3 December, Keith Nichols will provide a programme of festive music performed in his own inimitable way at the Churchill Room in Wanstead Library.

Keith is considered to be a foremost authority on classic jazz and ragtime and is a widely respected exponent of the Harlem Stride style of jazz piano playing – a style developed in the large cities of the American East Coast during the 1920s and 1930s. He also specialises in all older jazz piano styles, including Scott Joplin, James P Johnson (“the father of stride”), Duke Ellington and Fats Waller.

Born in 1945 in Ilford, Keith took piano and accordion lessons at the age of five, becoming Great Britain junior champion on accordion in 1960. After graduating from the Guildhall School of Music, he turned professional and toured for seven years with the jazz-comedy band Levity Lancers, in which he played piano, trombone and tuba.

Over the years, Keith has toured extensively in the UK, Europe and America and has performed at many major world venues, such as London’s South Bank Centre and New York’s Carnegie Hall. He first visited the USA in 1976 as a member of Dick Sudhalter’s New Paul Whiteman Orchestra and in 1977 helped form the Midnite Follies Orchestra. Also in the 1970s he formed the band New Sedalia and helped with the formation of the Ragtime Orchestra.

Keith has written many arrangements and transcriptions in the 1920s and 1930s style and has made three solo albums for EMI and many for Decca (including one with Bing Crosby) and the American Stomp Off label. In 1990, he was invited by musical director Bob Wilber to play the piano part of Hoagy Carmichael on the soundtrack of the feature film Bix.

Currently, Keith is freelance and continues to perform and record prolifically, as well as lecturing on jazz history at the Royal Academy and Trinity colleges. He is also a well-regarded authority on Fats Waller.

Keith’s distinctive playing, humorous personality and warm engagement with his audiences always make for a particularly enjoyable evening. And next month’s event will end with the music society’s annual festive celebrations with plentiful complementary refreshments. Start your run-up to this year’s Christmas season by joining us in an evening of high-quality festive entertainment.

At next month’s meeting of the Wanstead Historical Society, Mark Gorman and Peter Williams will explain how Wanstead Flats was used as a venue to spread political and religious messages

Take a fascinating journey through the history of the flats showing how this semi-regulated space became the base for the free expression of ideas, whether religious or political, at the end of the 19th century.

Some notable local characters from Leytonstone stand out. Bushwood, it turns out, was our local Speakers’ Corner. The talk will also discuss how the conservators, the City of London Corporation, sought to exercise control and some of the court cases that ensued.

Political and religious groups have long seen Wanstead Flats as a natural meeting place, as ‘public property’ for the use of the people. However, since the passing of the Epping Forest Act in 1878, the City of London, as ‘conservators’ responsible for managing the Flats as part of the wider forest, have tried to control and restrict such uses. This is the story of the struggle between these two differing views of Wanstead Flats.

Up to the mid-20th century, the main means of communicating political or religious messages was through mass meetings and processions with bands and banners. Often unable to afford (or banned from) meeting rooms and halls, radical political and religious groups sought out large open spaces for their gatherings. Wanstead Flats, located within easy reach of the London of earlier times, and since the late Victorian era surrounded by housing, was seen as an ideal meeting place.

Radical politics in Victorian times were dominated by one great issue: the vote. Even after the reform of Parliament in 1832, working people still had no say in running the country, and the vote was a key demand from the time of the Chartists through to the end of the century and beyond. At the same time, many people were seeking alternatives to the mainstream Anglican Church in an era of great religious fervour.

Religion and politics were often interwoven, and open-air meetings were a prime means of passing on radical political and religious messages. The unfenced ‘public spaces’ of Wanstead Flats were an obvious venue for both.

At the same time, Wanstead Flats had for many years prior to 1878 been a temporary home to travelling communities, above all to Gipsies, who, despite local disapproval (and sometimes harassment), were a familiar part of the local scene. We shall see how some members of this community were to become involved with the wave of religious enthusiasm of the Victorian era.

In the first of a series of articles, local photographer Geoff Wilkinson discusses his new exhibition – entitled ‘Quick! Before it goes’ – depicting London’s East End, an area which resonates with many residents here.

Growing up in London’s East End was a fascinating experience for a young boy. In the 1950s, bomb damage from the war was still very much evident. Living mostly in Stratford, I remember the area just to the right of the old Angel Lane street market which had been completely flattened. No houses or buildings remained; it was just a playground or used for parking vans and cars, such as there were. Perhaps it is the memories of this loss of buildings and architecture that has made me so determined to photograph what is left of the old East End.

When I opened my Whitechapel exhibition last year at the gallery, it was interesting to see the various reactions of the visitors when they saw the photographs. Many of my generation were delighted to see pictures of streets where they had grown up and played or perhaps the buildings where their grandparents had lived. My daughter’s generation, mainly young professionals, reminisced about nights out at bars and restaurants and living in fashionable flats in Whitechapel or Hoxton. For many of these visitors now living in Wanstead, Woodford and the surrounding areas, the common theme, regardless of generation, was the sadness of the familiar places disappearing.

It was the memories shared with me and the emotions the photographs evoked in people that persuaded me to continue on this theme, to capture a wider area of the East End, including Hackney, Bethnal Green (as shown here), Mile End, Bow and much, much more.

Artist David Sawyer – who travelled with the Prince of Wales to the Caribbean as an official tour artist earlier this year – will be demonstrating landscape painting in oils at Wanstead House this month.

“One of the many tips David will be giving at the demonstration is to paint or sketch en plein air, because you will learn what to leave out of the painting and what to leave in,” said a spokesperson for Essex Art Club, which is hosting the event on 24 November from 2.30pm to 4.30pm (visitors: £5).

Visit wnstd.com/eac

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 London, Wanstead Sports Grounds Limited, Wanstead Parish and the London Borough of Redbridge – who will have the responsibility of delivering the project. Part of the strategy will be to improve co-ordinated management by these independent parties, with support from the Friends.

In order to deliver this long-term vision, the conceptual options are varied and range from one-off major capital expenditures, such as restoring the lakes to stabilise water levels, to relatively simple actions, such as re-focusing on-going maintenance in the various parts of the park. The large size of Wanstead Park and the potential need for significant funding means the plan and its delivery is a long-term commitment with some actions more readily achieved than others.

The key objectives of the Parkland Plan are:

Addressing visitor needs to provide an accessible and legible historic landscape. This will include clearing and restoring selected historic features and improving entrances and paths. As well as heritage, the park’s natural aspects would benefit from better management to promote biodiversity and nature conservation.

Improving visitor facilities around the park, including developing the surroundings of the Temple as a visitor hub with improved access, an enhanced catering offering, flexible space for events and a new children’s play area. It is hoped this will also bring future activity and income generation benefits, which will ensure financial sustainability.

Improving water management and ensuring the major package of works to the lakes (designated as ‘High Risk’ in 2018) both respect and benefit the historic significance of the waterscape and surrounding landscape.

Conserving the boathouse Grotto. A Conservation Management Plan has just been completed, which is intended to guide the future care of this unique building.

Promoting research into Wanstead Park, its history, management and biodiversity.

The Parkland Plan also supports increased community and volunteer involvement in the park.

Although the ‘shopping list’ for Wanstead Park’s future is largely settled, some questions over funding and timescales still need to be resolved. Plans and priorities for phasing, including those that can be covered by existing staff and budgets, will first need to be approved. This will enable both capital and corresponding revenue costs to be broadly agreed, prior to the submission of a bid of up to £5m to the National Heritage Lottery Fund (NHLF). The NHLF have only recently revised their funding criteria for projects between 2019 and 2024. Competition for funding is strong, and it is not yet clear how or when this element will be integrated.

Agreement and adoption of the Parkland Plan will then need to be endorsed by the Steering Group, and formally by the Wanstead Park landowners.

The most recent costing for all the planned work is around £14.5m, and it is currently unclear as to which parts of the plan will be fulfilled if, for some reason, there is a shortfall in funding.

A further frustration for the Friends is that the latest starting point for major works to be carried out is further down the road than anticipated. This is said to be due to the requirements of the City of London’s required internal processes for planning and funding major projects, with work on the capital projects now due to commence as late as 2024.

In advance of this, the Friends will continue liaising and working with the City of London and other project partners to establish what work can take place to improve the visitor experience and the overall state of the park and its lakes while plan development is in progress.

If you wish to be involved in the ongoing development of the Parkland Plan, and actively contribute to the thinking behind it and the local community, please consider joining the Friends of Wanstead Parklands.

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, with help from the Salvation Army, Vision RCL and officers from Redbridge Council.

It is always wonderful to see the RAF and police cadets parade along the High Street, the mayoral party being led to the memorial field by the golden Wanstead mace, gifted to Wanstead Urban Council by Winston Churchill, and members of the clergy from local Wanstead churches joining together to lead us in prayer. From the hymns and wreath-laying through to the sounding of the last post by a lone bugler, I am always struck by the solemnity and peacefulness of both occasions, which is in marked contrast to the chaos and cacophony that war brings.

But perhaps the most poignant aspect of Remembrance Sunday for me is seeing the youngest members of our community from the local Beavers, Cubs and Scouts laying their own personal poppy tributes at the base of the memorial.

I firmly believe that observing a moment’s silence on both Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day not only allows members of our community to show respect and remember those who have lost their lives but it also reminds us of – and will continue to teach the generations that come after us – an incredibly valuable lesson: that war should never be the solution.

Surely, there can be no greater tribute to the victims of war than that?

Parker Dairies milkman Steve Hayden will be switching on the George Green Christmas tree lights on 22 November at 4.30pm.

“The theme will be that of a cleaner, greener, plastic-free Christmas. There will also be local school choirs, a band and some panto characters,” said Councillor Paul Donovan.

Last year, more than 150 residents attended the event, at which milk and treats were distributed to the children.

“It’s great when the community comes together to celebrate in this way… Christmas is also a time to reach out to others.”

A public workshop took place last month in Redbridge Council’s first steps towards preparing a management plan for the Aldersbrook Conservation Area.

The ideas put forward will help develop an up-to-date appraisal, and identify how best to preserve and enhance the character and significance of the area.

“A full and formal consultation will take place to further enable residents to express their views. This will include drop-in sessions, which will take place towards the end of the year,” said a council spokesperson.

Children aged nine and over are invited to make new friends at a Wanstead Library event this month.

“As part of Anti-Bullying Week, this is an opportunity to make new friends, enjoy some fun activities and discuss how to spread kindness in our community,” said a library spokesperson. The free anti-bullying workshop will take place on 13 November from 4pm to 5.15pm.

Run by the Anti-Bullying Alliance, this year’s Anti-Bullying Week theme is ‘Change Starts With Us’.

Visit wnstd.com/libevents

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 during the First World War. A world-renowned statesman, when asked what his favourite period of his long life was, he immediately replied without hesitation: “1940,” when Britain stood alone during the Second World War and he became Prime Minister. He said history would be kind to him – because he would write it – and he won the Nobel Prize for Literature. He was bumptious, pushy, an adept ‘string-puller’. Lord Beaverbrook (Max Aitken, owner of the Daily Express) said of Winston that on the crest of a wave he had the makings of a dictator.

John McDonnell, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, more recently questioned Churchill’s status as a hero following a 2002 BBC poll in which he had been voted the greatest Briton of all.

Wanstead and Woodford’s MP from 1924 to 1964, just months before his death aged 90, a skilful artist and bricklayer, he suffered periods of “black dog” depression. Out of office, depressed and mistrusted by the Conservative Party (Winston had been Home Secretary and a member of the Liberal Party from 1904 to 1924), he was considered a political adventurer. His cavalier attitude to party loyalty during the 1930s left him isolated and his was a lone voice against the rise of Fascism, Hitler and the Nazis. So, when in 1939 he was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty, they sent out just a two-word telegram to all ships: “He’s back”. He had changed sides from the Liberals to Conservative, winning the seat of Epping in 1924. But in Britain’s darkest hour in 1940, after the failure of Neville Chamberlain, Churchill was the only man the Labour Party, led by Clement Atlee (he lived on Monkhams Avenue, Woodford from 1921 to 1931), would serve under in the wartime coalition cabinet and government. Yet, this success didn’t stop Winston being immediately voted out of office as soon as the war was won, though he did return again as prime minister in 1951.

Churchill didn’t visit the constituency much and he didn’t have a home in the borough. However, he got on well with Conservative politician and businessman Sir James Hawkey (1877–1952) and in 1955 it was Churchill who came here to open the hall named after Hawkey (Winston laid a foundation brick in 1954). Hawkey was chairman of Woodford Urban District Council (UDC) from 1916 to 1934 and the newly merged Wanstead and Woodford UDC from 1934 to 1937, and later three-times mayor.

During the war years (1939–1945), it was his wife Clementine who really nursed the constituency. Winston said “my most brilliant achievement was my ability to persuade my wife to marry me”. Clementine nursed him through his “black dog” periods, helped the PDSA to care for animals in Woodford during the war, attended many fetes, balls and constituency meetings, especially during the Blitz, and in 1951 opened the door to the 1,000th new house built in the borough.

Churchill’s statue on Woodford Green was unveiled in 1959 by Viscount Montgomery. Was Churchill worthy of his number one spot as the ‘Greatest Briton’? Definitely!

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

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 high, with A&E, maternity and core services.

Fewer beds, apart from more in critical care and maternity, and more space for day surgery, including for children. The rationale for this, despite a growing population, is based on hospital and primary care clinician working groups’ vision of models of care.

Becoming a specialist centre for the treatment of frail older people, including residents from Newham and Tower Hamlets.

Some community or social care facilities next to the hospital.

Much of the site to be disposed of for housing and community amenities, with up to 1,700 new homes envisaged.

No commitment to sustainable building and energy design was evident.

“I fear you may be overestimating how much your plans will reduce the need for hospital beds,” said the final questioner to applause. No evidence has been presented as to how far their proposed model of care closer to home can or will reduce the need for hospital admissions, or the resources needed for this. Without additional beds, the future in reality will be a cut, and a new hospital under as much pressure as now, or more.

This is our hospital. Our say in it has to be real. This will only happen by our action. The next two months will be critical as the revised outline business case will be resubmitted at the end of the year, which includes the total capital needed. The new hospital must be based on need, not the funding on offer.

Let’s make it happen.

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.

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 be changed – and even rectified – with adjustments to diet and lifestyle makes this an essential subject to address, which is what I have tried to do by writing my story, charting the steps I took to reverse my own blood sugar levels.

The Inspired Diabetic is a book about lifestyle, nutrition, fitness, exercise and, of course, diabetes. I believe my story will be of interest to many, with diabetes affecting over 400 million people worldwide.

Changes in lifestyle and diet means diabetes is one of the fastest growing diseases on the planet. It is also the subject of growing media interest as journalists become aware of the scale of the disease.

Here follows my blood sugar level-reversing journey, which is amazing. This was all done naturally, without medication. As a general guide, haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels of less than or equal to 40 mmol/mol is normal.

• October 2015: HbA1c level: 92 mmol/mol
• November 2015: HbA1c level: 77 mmol/mol
• December 2015: HbA1c level: 60 mmol/mol
• 1 February 2016: HbA1c level: 41 mmol/mol
• 29 February 2016: HbA1c level: 39 mmol/mol
• 8 June 2016: HbA1c level: 38 mmol/mol
• 19 October 2016: HbA1c level: 36 mmol/mol