The South Woodford Society AGM will take place on 28 February
“It’s an opportunity to learn about our achievements in 2023 and our plans for 2024. So, drop in, and we look forward to meeting you. Membership of the Society is free, and if you join, you’ll be kept up to date with local issues and events,” said a spokesperson. The meeting will take place at the South Woodford Salvation Army on Daisy Road from 7pm.
Visit swvg.co.uk/sws
©Don TaylorI took this photo of a fox in the snow a few weeks before Christmas 2022 in the City of London Cemetery, which lies adjacent to Wanstead Park and Wanstead Flats. There are several families of foxes there, and when the snow came that year, I just had to head over and bide my time to get the shot I wanted.
Foxes develop a thick winter coat, so their cold-weather behaviour isn’t much different from any other season. They devote most of the winter to hunting or foraging, with no need for a den until the mating season begins. So, it’s not uncommon to find a fox sleeping in the open beneath a blanket of snow! They breed from January to March.
I now work part-time for the Corporation of London. I retired fairly young and wanted to do something in the outdoors. I do some litter picking over Wanstead Flats and Wanstead Park and through this, I’ve got to know some great photographers. And it was because of these connections that I put together a 2024 calendar of Epping Forest photos.
I must say a word of thanks to the other volunteer litter pickers and groups who do such a wonderful job looking after our open spaces. Sarah Shaw leads the Wanstead Flats Pickers and Gill James coordinates the Friends of Wanstead Parklands’ monthly clean-up. And not forgetting Eileen Elton, a one-woman band (unless her sister is over from Australia). Alongside this, I’ve also discovered the Wren Wildlife Group and always love meeting up with their members.
I also belong to the Orion Harriers running club and I’ve completed many marathons. I love adventures and probably the maddest, most dangerous activity I took part in was driving a Tuk Tuk 2,000 miles through India!
I love Epping Forest, and having only taken up photography in the last few years, it has provided everything I need to snap away!
For more information on the Epping Forest 2024 calendar, visit swvg.co.uk/ef24
If you are about to be consulted, or you are in the process of being consulted about redundancy, it is important you know your rights.
You have the right not to be unfairly dismissed. In a redundancy, this means:
You should be warned and consulted about the proposed redundancy.
Your employer must adopt a fair basis on which to select for redundancy. They must identify an appropriate pool from which to select potentially redundant employees and must select against proper criteria.
Your employer must consider suitable alternative employment if appropriate.
The right not to be unfairly dismissed only applies to employees who have been employed continuously for two years or more at the termination date. However, you have rights from day one of employment where your redundancy is due to discrimination due to any of the protected characteristics (sex, pregnancy, marital status or civil partnership, age, race, disability, sexual orientation, gender reassignment or religion), victimisation or harassment or for less favourable treatment due to your fixed-term or part-time status. If you are on maternity (or adoption or shared parental) leave, you have an automatic right to be offered any suitable alternative vacancies that may be available.
If your redundancy is confirmed, you will be entitled to your contractual notice subject to statutory minimum notice. Where you have been employed for two years or more, you will be entitled to a statutory redundancy payment, calculated according to a formula based on your age, length of service (capped at 20 years) and a week’s pay (subject to a statutory limit, currently £643 as of April 2023). You may also be entitled to a contractual enhanced redundancy payment subject to signing a settlement agreement. A redundancy payment can be paid tax-free (up to £30,000). All other contractual payments such as notice and holiday are subject to normal deductions for tax and national insurance. With two or more years service, you will also have the right to take reasonable paid time off to look for other work or arrange training.
If your employer is insolvent or refuses to pay, you have the right to apply to the National Insurance Fund for payment of your statutory redundancy and some other payments.
We would advise you to take advice early to ensure you are aware of your rights in full and of any time limits to make a claim for unfair dismissal, victimisation or discrimination.
Edwards Duthie Shamash is located at 149 High Street, Wanstead, E11 2RL. For more information, call 020 8514 9000 or visit edwardsduthieshamash.co.uk
The prime cause of stress is our high-tech, fast-paced, unrelenting lifestyles, plus economic and personal uncertainties leading to chronic stress as a major cause of ill-health worldwide.
Cortisol, the main stress hormone, is continually produced and released from the adrenal glands into the bloodstream. Normal cortisol levels are not detrimental. A normal cortisol rhythm should peak in the morning hours, then steadily decline throughout the day, with the lowest levels at night.
How do I know if I am stressed?
If this describes some or all of your symptoms, you are most likely experiencing the effects of stress and subsequent high cortisol levels. A general rule to remedy this is to focus on ‘real’ food. Avoid packaged, heavily processed and non-organic foods as these increase the toxic load to the liver and add stress to the body.
Better food choices include non-starchy vegetables, which have a detoxifying ability, including the cruciferous family (cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli and sprouts) plus dark-green leaves. Protein should be included at every meal to help with stabilizing blood sugar and to improve immune function. Fats, specifically omega-3 fatty acids, are anti-inflammatory and found in foods like salmon and chia seeds. Water is also important for everyone, as it will hydrate cells and detoxify the body.
While exercise is recommended as one of the best forms of medicine, too much exercise at the wrong intensity level and duration can be more inflammatory. It is best to exercise when your cortisol is closest to its normal range. Cortisol levels peak about 40 minutes into exercise, so limit cardiovascular activity to less than 40 minutes at a time.
Sleep helps by reducing cortisol and restoring the adrenal glands. Work towards eight hours of uninterrupted sleep between 10pm and 6am. Artificial light tricks the body into releasing more cortisol, so switch them all off. A weekly massage and dry sauna have also been shown to decrease stress levels.
Fiona Flaherty is a registered nurse and nutritional therapist based in South Woodford and Harley Street. For more information, call 07973 601 862 or visit meducatehealthcare.com
My name is Simone Roach. I’m 21 years old and was born with a disability called severe progressive axonal polyneuropathy. My condition caused me to lose the ability to walk, so I’m now a permanent wheelchair user. It also removed all of the movement from my fingers and wrists, so I can’t grab or hold objects with my hands either (I’m typing this article with a pen in my mouth). Despite all this, my claim to receive PIP, a disability benefit, was dismissed.
This has put me in an impossible situation. I currently have no funds despite having bills to pay. I have nothing I can use to pay the extra costs my disability causes me, and I don’t have a wheelchair taxi card (because I can’t claim PIP), so I’m stuck indoors. I’ve been applying to jobs nonstop and going through countless job interviews only to be rejected time and time again. There aren’t that many jobs I can apply for based on my skills and qualifications. I can’t just do a standard cleaning, waitressing or retail job because of my disability.
I tried going to Citizens Advice Redbridge because things are getting quite desperate, but they don’t do in-person appointments. I phoned them but was on hold for over two hours. I emailed them, but they said they’re so busy working on cases that they might not be able to help anyone new at the moment. I desperately need help and I don’t know where else to turn.
My PIP claim is supposedly being dismissed because I recently lived in the Netherlands. I was born in London and I used to live here when I was younger (my parents and sisters are British citizens too). However, when I was a child, my family moved to the Netherlands. I moved back to the UK in April 2023. I contacted both Citizens Advice and a PIP adviser and they both assured me that if I moved here, I’d be able to claim PIP. I knew I wouldn’t be able to move to London without that extra financial support.
Upon my return, I filled out the PIP application form. To my surprise, after months of waiting, my PIP claim was dismissed. Apparently, because I haven’t lived in England for two of the last three years, I can’t claim PIP, even though on PIP’s official website it says: “If you’ve recently returned from living in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, you might be able to get PIP sooner.” In fact, it says that you are even able to claim PIP while living abroad if you’re a British citizen. I tried to appeal the decision but the answer was the same – I have to wait two years before I can claim.
This is deeply disturbing to me. It means if you have a disability and you leave the UK for two years, you can never return because how is one supposed to function here for two years until eligible to claim benefits again? I feel as if I’m being abandoned by the government.
For more information and to contact Simone, visit thewheelchairteen.com
I love art and over the years have attended many evening classes, mainly life drawing and painting, at some of London’s leading art schools. My art has been a way to relax after my stressful accountancy day job.
Having been made redundant in April 2021, I decided to apply myself to my art full-time, and I opened an Etsy shop to see if I’d be able to sell what I was producing. It was a good way to combine my business mind and creativity. I opted to produce something that would be easy to dispatch by post, which is how I got back into lino printing.
What I love about doing lino cuts is that it brings drawing, painting and sculpture together. I enjoy the process of carving into the lino and the anticipation of seeing my work come to life as I lift the paper from the inked lino to reveal the finished piece. It can be quite exciting!
It’s always best to choose a subject you are passionate about. Luckily for me, I had adopted a greyhound supermodel in 2013. Grace the greyhound was the most beautiful, elegant and yet goofy creature. She was alarmingly tall and a rare blue fawn colour. She was quite a celebrity among the retired greyhound community and a great ambassador for her breed. I named my business after her, Grace Cuddle Art.
Greyhounds are quite a misunderstood breed and it is only once you meet one of the lucky dogs who have been adopted after retiring from racing that you get to see what wonderful pets they make. As well as being the sixth-fastest land animal (for pub quizzers, the few land animals faster than a greyhound are a cheetah, pronghorn, springbok, blackbuck and lion).
Greyhounds are gentle, loving and lazy dogs. They also make wonderful muses with their doe eyes, big noses and powerful muscular form.
I have since diversified into depicting other dog breeds, the occasional fox and my most challenging subject: a human grandchild! I have done commissions using pastels, coloured pencils and paint, and have recently introduced small ceramic art to my range of products.
A friend encouraged me to exhibit at the Local Makers Market in Wanstead and I absolutely loved meeting people and seeing their positive reactions to my work. I now regularly exhibit at a few other artisan markets.
People do say that when you face a life challenge – in my case, being made redundant in my 50s – something better is around the corner, and I can definitely say it was the best thing that could have happened to me, as it has enabled me to live my dream of being a professional artist.
Follow Sonia on Instagram or Facebook @gracecuddleart, or to view her Etsy shop, visit swvg.co.uk/cuddle
News that Barclays on George Lane will close on 23 February means no high street banks will remain throughout Wanstead and Woodford. In a remarkably short time, bustling branches of banks once competing on every street corner have become empty husks – or even been reinvented as an artisan bakery.
The changes come on the back of a growing use of digital banking. Barclays state 94% of its South Woodford customers mostly bank online. They also say that fewer than 10 customers regularly use the branch for all their transactions. Other banks cite similar figures. Given these numbers, the banks claim it’s too expensive to staff branches. Perhaps it’s no surprise they are pulling out of smaller sites, to focus on densely populated areas such as Barkingside and Walthamstow – at least for now. Nationally, the number of bank and building society branches fell by about 34% between 2012 and 2021, according to the Office of National Statistics.
Closures force customers into challenging journeys. They also lead to fewer cash machines (at least, free ones). Research by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in 2022 found that older people, people in poor health or on lower incomes, and those less able to manage their finances, depend more on cash. In 2019, the FCA identified bank closures would affect much the same groups.
People adept with computers, who pay for everything through their phone, may meet the loss of local branches with a shrug. But many who find online banking difficult welcome the support of bank staff. Transactions are not always straightforward. Small businesses which take cash will always need somewhere to deposit their takings.
What does this mean for Wanstead and Woodford? Fortunately, South Woodford recently regained its Post Office, where banking functions can still be carried out. As in Wanstead, visiting the Post Office to send a parcel or run through a passport application provides a sound reason to visit the high street – and visit local shops at the same time. The Nationwide Building Society recently pledged to keep its current branches open until 2026, which means they’ll remain for now in George Lane, South Woodford.
But if local services continue their decline, one option for us may be a banking hub. The number of hubs – shared spaces letting customers of multiple banks perform everyday banking tasks – is growing across the UK. Sharing makes them more viable than a branch of a single bank. Post Office staff operate counter services, where you can withdraw and deposit cash and pay bills. Bank representatives visit at different times. It’s early days, but with queues forming outside hubs as far afield as Brixham and Rochford, this innovation could restore vanished services. It could even revitalise our high streets.
For more information on banking hubs, visit swvg.co.uk/bankhub
The South Woodford Business Forum will host their second business information and networking event on 15 February (5pm to 7pm; venue to be confirmed).
It follows a popular event held in November, which saw more than 40 business owners and entrepreneurs from the local area attend. “Our event provides a platform to connect with the vibrant tapestry of local businesses. You’ll be able to exchange ideas and supercharge your network,” said a spokesperson.
The meeting is free, but booking is required.
Visit swvg.co.uk/bf
Local women raised concerns about safety in South Woodford during a walk with police, councillors and ward panel members in November.
“The main concern was a lack of lighting, particularly along Woodford Hall Path at the junction with Stanley Road, which has been reported to the council and will be remedied. We hope to organise more walks in 2024, and if residents would like to suggest different routes, please do get in touch,” said Councillor Rosa Gomez.
©Geoff WilkinsonIt’s lovely to be asked to write something about my flower sculptures on their 20th birthday. It is hard to believe that it was two decades ago, and that many of the school children who took part in the project will now have children of their own, who might themselves have grown up with the flower sculptures.
What pleases me most is the obvious affection people have for the flowers. This was not the universal feeling when I first made them, when some thought them an odd intrusion between The Shrubberies and George Lane, but that is often the case with public artworks. It takes time for them to ‘grow’ into a place and become part of people’s fond memories.
The project all began when Redbridge Council commissioned me to work with Churchfields Infants School, Oakdale Infants School, Wells Primary School and Churchfields Junior School to design a new sculpture for South Woodford, by making art together, exploring the themes of nature and flowers. We did this by making lots of flowers out of cardboard and painting and colouring them.
After working in the schools, I went away and built a big model of the whole of the George Lane roundabout and worked out the overall design with little maquettes of the flower sculptures, about two inches high. This model then led to making full-size patterns in wood for the sculpture, which I had cut out in Southend and then took to my studio near Colchester, where I formed all of the flowers and welded and painted the sculpture.
For me, this was a very special commission. I trained as a painter and sculptress in Belfast. Up until the flowers, I had made lots of big, three-dimensional paintings and constructions, all built from either wood, thin steel metal or cardboard, but I hadn’t yet made a big, permanent public artwork for outside, and it was the first time I’d worked in thick steel. The whole project was part of a joyful time, which I think is reflected in the fun and happy character of the flowers.
I like making artworks that are visually appealing and tactile, and I trust my instincts and imagination to come up with them. You don’t need a degree in art to appreciate the flowers, and I often surprise myself in coming up with ideas. You could say they have something anthropomorphic about them, they add something fun and strange to George Lane, but when I see children playing about them, I think they have understood them, as well as me, and anybody else.
For more information and to contact Nicola, email n.burrellartist@gmail.com
More fast chargers for electric vehicles will be installed across Redbridge as part of a project with Uber and infrastructure provider Believ.
“The project is part of the borough’s bid to support local people to adopt more sustainable and greener travel choices, including making the switch from petrol or diesel to electric vehicles,” said a spokesperson for the council. A total of 174 new charging points will be created in 87 locations around the borough – including South Woodford – with installation to begin in early 2024.
I used to enjoy quiz nights. At the pub possibly or as a fundraiser for a good cause. I was quite useful if there was a spelling round, but when it came to General Knowledge, I often knew that I knew the answer but somehow it refused to surface. Rather disheartening. Perhaps you’ve been there yourself. But this morning, early, when I drew the curtains and saw the heavy mist (I write these diaries several months ahead), my memory turned up trumps: I recalled Keat’s Ode to Autumn: “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, close bosom friend of the maturing sun.” An idea was born; would I dare to act on it?
With the Gazette deadline approaching, I set off after breakfast, wondering how many funny looks I’d get in Sainsbury’s or Waitrose if I invited people to recall any single line of a poem they’d learnt, perhaps in childhood. Michael put down his bag and gave me his full attention. “Yesterday, upon the stair, I met a man who wasn’t there. He wasn’t there again today. Oh, how I wish he’d go away.” Of course I could use his name, he said. “But everyone knows me as The Post.” After some thought, Mary volunteered just an opening line: “I wandered lonely as a cloud.” Later on, Millie was also ‘wandering lonely as a cloud’. I thought how nice it would have been if they could wander together. Rugby-playing Richard was giving his godmother a hand with her shopping. They both were intrigued and happy to give it a go. “I know I ought to be able to help,” she said. But Richard got there (beautifully) before her: “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” Pauline, aged 92, needed a preparatory drink of water before delivering her chosen lines, slowly and with real feeling: “Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!), awoke one night from a deep dream of peace.” I thought that was it but she was in full, passionate flow with a second contribution: “Ye have robbed, said he, ye have slaughtered and made an end!” I had jotted down “he said” but “No,” said Pauline, “It’s said he!” Barbara was instantly far away from the tinned baked beans and tubes of tomato puree and back in her primary school days, at Christmas, I think: “Little King so fair and sweet, see us gathered at thy feet. Be Thou Monarch of our school. It shall prosper neath thy rule.” In the next aisle, Ellie looked to the future rather than to the past: “When I am an old woman I shall wear purple, with a red hat that doesn’t go and doesn’t suit me. And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves.”
I could almost see Darryl and Wendy putting on their thinking caps: Kipling’s poem to his son, entitled If was his favourite. “If only I could remember how it starts,” he said. (I checked it out later. I expect he did too: “If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs…”) Wendy recalled a moving line from a poem often read at a funeral. “I have only slipped away into the next room.” A second Mary stopped and leaned on her trolley to give the topic some serious consideration. “I’d like you to include in your article the words on the Kohima Epitaph in North India: “When you go home, tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow we gave our today.” Almost as if to move from the sublime to the ridiculous, Anthony launched into one of Spike Milligan’s masterpieces: “Today I saw a little worm wriggling on his belly. Perhaps he’d like to come inside and see what’s on the telly.” Taxi-driver, Colin, was a Milligan fan too, but we settled on that much-parodied verse: “The boy stood on the burning deck whence all but he had fled.” We mulled over what possible reasons the boy had; was he heroic or barmy? In fact, evidently, it was a true story of a boy who was obedient to his father’s orders, not knowing that his father was no longer alive. Doubly tragic really! Geraldine delivered her lines with appropriate vigour: “I sprang to the stirrup, and Joris, and he; I galloped, Dirck galloped, we galloped all three.” I did wonder how many more shoppers would be ‘wandering lonely as a cloud’. Yet another Mary chose the same Wordsworth poem but leapt straight to the “host of golden daffodils, beside the lake, beneath the tress, fluttering and dancing in the breeze.”
As you can imagine, I was delighted, privileged, even, to find that so many people immersed in shopping lists, marmalade, cheese biscuits, tin foil, washing-up liquid, could switch, effortlessly in some cases, to some of the most profound and complex poetry. I certainly wasn’t expecting a small slice of EE Cummings’ poem about a couple in love: “One not half two. It’s two are halves of one.” While I was unwrapping this line, Guy came out with another offering, from Larkin, “but it’s a bit rude,” he said. “So?” I replied. “They ‘bleep’ you up, your Mum and Dad. They may not mean to but they do.” Get it? Some of my ‘respondents’ apologised, feeling like I did on quiz nights. At least three promised to catch me up if they did recall one of the many poems they knew they knew. When would Shakespeare claim his place in this day’s adventure? I asked myself. He did, when Gordon brought a spot of As You Like It to life, enjoyed by not a few others in the fresh fish queue: “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts”. Time for me to exit? I think so.
(But I did remember to buy the kippers for tea.)
To contact DD with your thoughts or feedback, email dd@swvg.co.uk
A number of roads across South Woodford and Wanstead were included in Redbridge Council’s trial of a new – and fast – low-carbon fix for potholes.
“The injection patcher carries out rapid pothole repairs using a pioneering technique known as injection spray patching. Firstly, air is pumped at speed into the pothole to remove dirt and debris. Seconds later, the hole is sprayed with cold bitumen, followed by a layer of aggregate applied at high speed – the whole repair takes just a couple of minutes,” said a spokesperson.
A design code for South Woodford is another step closer to completion following a successful online survey which sought to discover what matters most to residents and visitors.
“Over 1,600 people visited the design code community portal, with idea contributions from 369 visitors. These will be fed into the final version of our draft design code. Thank you to all who took the time to participate. Please keep an eye out in the next edition for a breakdown of the contributions received,” said Pearl Arbenser-Simmonds.
The surbey prize draw was held on 1 December, with the following winners selected: Alison G and Hannah N.
A student from Woodford Green has been awarded a £20,000 bursary by the Amazon Future Engineer programme.
Leah-Megan Chi – who attended Trinity Catholic High School before starting a computer science degree at the University of Leeds in October – was one of 30 women in the UK to receive the funding in 2023. “I was really happy when I read the email. I told everyone in the house and then recorded their reaction. It means a lot to me; I can focus on my education without worrying too much about expenses,” said Leah-Megan.
A date for the second Wanstead Beer Festival has been set.
It follows the success of the first event last October, which raised over £3,000 for local good causes. “The enthusiasm for the inaugural event meant diaries were opened and a new date fixed. The event will take place at Christ Church halls on 12 October 2024. It was excellent to raise money for local charities and, hopefully, even more can be raised in 2024,” said organiser Paul Donovan.
© Tony MorrisonWhen three large mammals with massive curving horns appeared in Wanstead Park in the autumn, there was shock. We did not expect to see cows here so late in the year. We had no cows at all in 2022, due to the long drought ruining the grazing.
So, the cattle warden volunteers rushed into action. Our main aim was to tell people why the cows were there and to discourage them, and their dogs and children, from getting too close. Ten metres was the rule. Some people had never seen a live cow before. Most dogs and their owners wisely decided to keep a healthy distance. A few owners had not trained their frisky dogs to come when called, but soon learned to keep them on a lead.
We expected a few people to be angry. “Do you think you own this park?” “What about my dog’s right to roam?” “Why were there so few warning signs up?” But most people were delighted to welcome ‘our’ cows back, and many people remembered them from 2021. A surprising number were well informed already. They asked questions. “What happened to the calves they had?” “What are their names?” “Are they pregnant?” “Why are they here so late in the year?” “How long will they be staying?” “What about all these cowpats?” “Where do they go at night?” Answers: Quinine, Nina and Mara (new girl). They were delayed by the requirement for bovine TB testing as a nearby farm tested positive. None pregnant. They will stay until the grazing gives out in January or February. They stay out all night. Cowpats are very good for improving the soil and overwintering these hardy cattle encourages certain insect species. The grazing clears the habitat of encroaching scrub and biodiversity is improved. A spokesperson for the City of London Corporation explains: “The cows have an important job to do grazing the main acid grassland to remove course vegetation and young scrub, which improves the biodiversity of this special area of Epping Forest. Grazing is particularly important for Wanstead Park because to mow with machinery would destroy one of the main features of wildlife interest, the Yellow Meadow Ant hills.”
Mara, Nina and Quinine are magic in an unexpected way. Calm down, you frantic urban creatures, they say. Though not in so many words. And just a few days after that first excitement, the park went quiet. The cow-gazers still came, but now there was acceptance that this was a special space to share and enjoy. Dog walkers, strollers, cyclists, joggers, we all have to make space for each other. And smile. And look.
A heartfelt thank you to Epping Forest from the volunteer wardens for this wonderful opportunity to engage with the public, to hear so many stories about cows in people’s gardens or back home in India or Ireland or Iran, and to enjoy the park we know so well from a new perspective.
For more information about the cows in Wanstead Park, visit swvg.co.uk/wpcows
Redbridge Council is petitioning the government for financial support to repair Broadmead Road bridge in Woodford, which has been closed to traffic since July.
Essential structural repairs are expected to cost at least £25m. “The Prime Minister’s decision to cancel the northern leg of HS2 means billions are available to help fund transport projects… We are calling on the Transport Secretary to allocate urgent funding to help cover the enormous cost of this unforeseen project,” said Councillor Kam Rai.
Visit swvg.co.uk/brr
Oakdale Junior School has received the Gold Award for UNICEF UK’s Rights Respecting Schools programme for the second time.
The award recognises schools which put the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child at the heart of their planning and policies.
“This has such a positive impact on our pupils – the ethos is embedded in the day-to-day life of our school and celebrates all we do to ensure our pupils feel a sense of belonging and have an awareness of their role in the wider world,” said Head of School Carley Smith.
A new police hub on the Orchard Estate in Woodford will become a base for local Safer Neighbourhood Teams, including those covering South Woodford and Churchfields wards.
“The new hub will be home to at least 20 officers, working in partnership with council staff and Redbridge housing officers to prevent antisocial behaviour and support people across the west of Redbridge,” said a Redbridge Council spokesperson. Local police will continue to be based in Barkingside until the hub is operational in the summer.
Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP officially opened the new South Woodford Post Office earlier this month.
“The whole store looks fantastic, and it’s good news for businesses and residents in South Woodford,” said the MP for Chingford and Woodford Green.
He was joined by postmaster Sam Sarwar, who also runs a Post Office in Buckhurst Hill.
The former empty shop at 115 George Lane now features two Post Office counters in a dedicated area and one as part of an open-plan counter alongside the retail section of the convenience store.
The SELMF was founded in 1882, making it the UK’s oldest competitive music and drama festival. It has always played a large part in the musical history of East London from its early days as a local event in Stratford. The Festival culminates in the Young Musician Competition on the last Saturday (February for 2024), where 10 young musicians are chosen to compete for the coveted and very prestigious Young Musician competition. Matthew Taylor, Chair of the SELMF says “The standard of the Young Musicians concert is out of this world. You could easily be watching professional performances in the West End”.
In 2024, the Festival will have classes for bands, orchestras and choirs on the 5th and 6th of February at St. Mary’s Church in South Woodford and the 19th-24th February for all other music, speech and drama classes. These will take place at the Redbridge Music Service, John Savage Centre, Fencepiece Road, Hainault, Ilford, IG6 2NB.
Entries for the Stratford and East London Music Festival close on the 29 December 2023.
All entries can be made online using the easy-to-use booking system called Play & Perform. For all details on classes available, how to become a Friend Of The Festival and entering, please go to our website www.stratfordmusicfestival.org.uk
Redbridge’s first-ever Youth Climate and Sustainability Forum took place in November.
Eco-minded students from across the borough came together at the Town Hall for a day of activities, workshops and discussions promoting greener living.
“When you grow up and find out about climate change, it is scary… When I saw the visible effects of climate change, it was a wow moment; it gave me the spark to want to change this,” said Lucie Sattaur-Lennon from Woodbridge High School, who took part in the event.
Recently, reports emerged that Smile Direct Club, the online dental firm, was shutting down all global operations after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the USA in September.
Stories regarding Smile Direct Club patients who have paid thousands of pounds can be found across social media, as well as national news and radio.
However, I am concerned that the oral health implications of Smile Direct Club’s bankruptcy far outweigh the financial ones, especially for those mid treatment and now abandoned.
Founded in 2014, Smile Direct Club’s users grew quickly due to its promise of affordable orthodontic solutions that achieve the desired results in 4-6 months without needing an in-person dental visit.
Despite the concerns of many experts within the dental industry, there was no intervention and now dentists’ worst fears have been realised.
So, what can people do?
From the promise of their dream smile to a dental nightmare, Smile Direct Club patients have been forced to pick up the pieces – but many do not know where to start.
Here at Improve Your Smile in Woodford Green, we would like to invite anyone affected by this situation to have a complimentary consultation with our highly experienced Orthodontist to discuss their options.
For more information, call 020 8504 2704
Improve Your Smile is located at 162 High Road, Woodford Green, Essex IG8 9EF
The South Woodford Society hosted their third Christmas lights switch-on event on George Lane at the beginning of December.
“It was a great success, with the community gathered to enjoy some festive cheer. Children lined up to meet Santa as he gifted sweets. The Mayor of Redbridge counted down, and as the lights came on, each child turned on their glow sticks to create a sea of light. We all enjoyed the brass band, a performance from Oakdale School and a carol singalong. A pantomime cow added to the fun!” said a spokesperson.
©Geoff WilkinsonThe South Woodford Village Gazette has launched Village Vouchers, a new initiative to help residents save money whilst supporting the local economy and good causes.
Published in collaboration with the Wanstead Village Directory, Village Vouchers is a booklet filled with 100 discount vouchers for shops, salons, cafés, pubs and restaurants across the two areas. “From free cake with a coffee to money off a massage, Village Vouchers is designed to get people excited about shopping locally. A huge thanks to all the businesses that are taking part,” said editor Lee Marquis.
Priced £4 and valid until 31 March 2024, the booklets are being sold by local libraries, schools and charities, who retain up to half the proceeds. Copies can also be purchased online and collected from George Lane, with shoppers invited to select a good cause to support.
Visit swvg.co.uk/vv
The owner of Fresh As A Daisy Café has explained why the Lidstone Butchers ghost sign was painted over.
“I started refurbishing the premises in September. I contacted the council to ask about permission to renovate the exterior wall, and supplied pictures of the wall. I was told in writing by the council that if I was planning to repair or restore the external wall to cover up graffiti, then I would not need planning permission. We are deeply sorry for the distress this has caused. This was not our intention. If we had known, we would have left the wall untouched,” said Bledar Islami, who subsequently had the sign repainted.
