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South Woodford resident and pianist Yuki Negishi will be joining musicians from across the country for a virtual concert on 19 September and 9 October (8pm; tickets: £11.99).

“My monthly Beethoven 250 series at St Mary’s Church in South Woodford has been cancelled since March 2020 due to the pandemic, so I was honoured to be invited to perform these recitals online. I will be performing the Appassionata and Pathetique sonatas by Beethoven, alongside other composers,” said Yuki.

Visit swvg.co.uk/yuki

South Woodford Library and Gym reopened in August, but Vision RCL – which operates the borough’s leisure and cultural services – is keen to highlight it is still not business as usual.

“We are taking a very cautious approach in light of the recent spate of localised lockdowns… Browsing is limited to 15 minutes, or customers can pre-order books and DVDs for collection. For more information on all temporary measures, see our website or give us a call,” said a library spokesperson.

Visit swvg.co.uk/library or call 020 8708 2414

A psychotherapist and parent coach from South Woodford has launched a campaign to help prevent children’s mental health suffering from the long-term effects of COVID-19.

“Research tells us there is a 10-year delay between young people experiencing their first symptoms and accessing help. Prevention is better than cure, and building resilience is at the heart of my campaign #LegacyNow, which is about passing on your values to your children rather than an inheritance,” explained Usha Chudasama.

Visit swvg.co.uk/legacy

Redbridge Council is giving away over 40,000 spring-flowering bulbs to help improve local neighbourhoods.

“The bulbs are being given out in time for Redbridge’s Big Planting Weekend, taking place between 16 and 18 October. The borough-wide planting movement encourages people to plant their bulbs in spaces that benefit the local community,” said a spokesperson. Community groups, residents and schools can request the bulbs by completing an online form by 20 September.

Visit swvg.co.uk/bulbs20

Wanstead House Community Association reopened from 1 September.

“Most of our clubs and groups are ready and willing to return, although restrictions and regulations will be in place. Social distancing has to be maintained throughout and face masks must be worn in all communal areas,” said manager Ann Brockway. The centre – located at 21 The Green, Wanstead – has announced a new programme of classes for adults and children, which includes languages, dance, art, keep-fit, fashion and floristry.

Call 020 8989 3693

A new local radio station will launch in January 2021.

“We are Woodford Radio and we will be a station for the community. We will host daily live shows with the latest local news and issues, plus upcoming events in the Woodford area,” said station manager Mark West, who is keen to hear from fellow residents who would like to present a show or contribute to the project’s running costs. “If you would like to be a presenter for Woodford Radio, please fill in the form on our website.”

Visit swvg.co.uk/radio

Residents of Raymond Avenue in South Woodford took part in a sunflower growing competition over the summer.

The plants were a gift from three brothers – Aron, 12, Noah, 10, and Jonah, 6 – who germinated the seeds before handing them out to all their neighbours with a note asking people to plant them in their front garden.

“The children really enjoyed this project and it’s taught them a lot about being kind and taking care of things… It’s definitely brought us closer to our neighbours,” said mum, Nicola Tiller.

The South Woodford Gardeners were delighted when Waitrose stepped in to help them repair the flower bed in George Lane, which had been destroyed by a lorry in March.

“We had been waiting for the lorry company to help with the repair, but it was taking such a long time we had to tackle it ourselves. Waitrose was only too happy to provide bags of compost to fill in the deep ruts left behind, and we all pitched in to dig over the soil and plant with geraniums and other plants from our own gardens,” said Jane Turner.

Businesses in South Woodford are invited to join the Redbridge Bloomin’ Businesses initiative to brighten up the local community by adopting planters for their outside space.

“If you are a business owner, get in touch and see how we can work together to bring splashes of colour to your business door and community. Contact the South Woodford Society if you want to know who is already on the list. A row of planters will really brighten up George Lane!” said a Redbridge Council spokesperson.

Visit swvg.co.uk/rbb

Redbridge Council is calling on residents to become Street Watch volunteers.

“Street Watch is a community partnership led by members of the public who kindly volunteer their time to patrol their neighbourhoods in high-visibility jackets to create safer, more cohesive neighbourhoods,” said a spokesperson. Volunteers will receive training from local police before patrolling on foot or by bike in pairs.

Visit swvg.co.uk/watch

Tentative plans are in place for the return of the Woodford Festival next year.

“We would not have been able to put on the festival this year for obvious reasons. However, the good news is that Vision RCL have suggested they will accede to our request to take over the administration and provide funding. Therefore, events will be able to go ahead in 2021 – pandemic permitting,” said Geoff Seeff, chairman of the Woodford Festival Association.

An article about the vandalism of the Woodford Green Churchill statue in our last issue prompted a number of objections to how the former prime minister was presented. Reader Sarah P was invited to respond

I felt compelled to write after I read the Our Churchill article in the previous issue of the South Woodford Village Gazette. The article, written by Tory councillor Clark Vasey, was condemning vandalism to Woodford’s Churchill statue. I felt the article was one-sided, biased and failed to address Churchill’s problematic past.

If your opinion of Churchill is based solely on the war, then, of course, you’re going to think favourably of him. Churchill did substantial good for this country. However, he also did and said things that were inherently racist and it’s important we acknowledge this.

Vasey said those who vandalised the statue are “thugs who ought to read some history”. This is ironic, as examples of Churchill’s controversies are well documented. Here are just three:

He held a hierarchical perspective of race, believing white people were the most superior and black people the least.

In 1902, whilst discussing his views on the Chinese, Churchill stated the “great barbaric nations” would “menace civilised nations”, and that “the Aryan stock is bound to triumph”. In 1954, he also said: “I hate people with slit eyes and pigtails. I don’t like the look of them or the smell of them.”

His biggest atrocity concerns the Bengal famine of 1943. Churchill stated that any potential relief efforts sent to India would accomplish little to nothing, as Indians “bred like rabbits”. Up to three million people starved to death while British officials begged Churchill to direct supplies to the region. He refused and said the plague was “merrily” culling the population.

It’s easy to argue it was a different time, that everyone held similar views then. However, his actions during the Bengal famine are inexcusable – millions died. In fact, Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin was warned by colleagues not to appoint Churchill because his views were so antediluvian. Even his doctor, Lord Moran, said of other races: “Winston thinks only of the colour of their skin.”

Vasey said that not liking Churchill is “bizarre to any normal person”. This is incredibly unfair given the examples listed above. Being mixed ethnicity, I’m not sure if Churchill would have liked me very much, and I can certainly understand why some people are conflicted in their opinions of him. My words are not intended to completely bash Churchill or offend his supporters, but to offer a different perspective and to highlight why some people rightly have an issue with Churchill.   

Churchfields is a diverse ward. This is one of the reasons I like living in South Woodford. If our community is going to discuss Churchill, then we should consider his complete history.