Editor

A Year 4 pupil and talented singer from Churchfields Junior School has been awarded a prestigious choristership at King’s College School, Cambridge.

Shashank Shivram Raghavendran has been learning music since the age of four, playing piano, violin and guitar. As a member of the London Youth Choirs, the eight-year-old has also performed at eminent venues, including the Royal Albert Hall and Royal Festival Hall.

Shashank will take up his position as a chorister at King’s College School in September.

Community gardening group the Woodford Greeners has been incredibly busy over the last year after being granted access to the walled garden in Ray Park. Lydia Fraser-Ward reports. Photos by Geoff Wilkinson

Originally formed by neighbours living in Woodford Green, the Woodford Greeners was brought together in 2022 by a shared desire to see the outdoor spaces in our neighbourhood improved after being neglected for many years.

Initially, volunteers tidied up planters filled with litter and weeds in Snakes Lane East and the surrounding roads, sprucing them up with flowers and plants they bought themselves. But after adopting more than 20 public beds, we made the request to Vision RCL for space in the walled garden in Ray Park so we could grow plants from seed and then transplant them out into the community.

What started as a small, two-metre growing patch soon expanded, and we demonstrated our dedication to improving green spaces by clearing more than 180 square metres of nettles, brambles and poisonous hemlock that was filling much of the walled garden site at the time, as well as removing rubbish and scrap metal. We also raised funds for a gazebo to be installed, a water mains standpipe to be reinstated, plus a series of raised beds to be built and filled with dahlias and other perennial flowers for the public to come in and enjoy at weekends.

Throughout summer 2023, the community garden was host to a number of free workshops, including a food-growing programme which will be returning as a free monthly session on Saturday mornings throughout 2024.

All this activity caught the attention of local councillors, who have thrown their support behind the Woodford Greeners and agreed to clear the rest of the site of old skips and rubbish that have been stored there for more than 10 years. Over the last couple of months, contractors have been bringing in machinery to take it all away, as well as clear large amounts of brambles, freeing up more space for the community garden to expand.

We also received more good news this year after discovering we had been selected to receive a Flagship ‘Our Space Award’ of more than £18,000 from Groundwork to develop this new area of the walled garden and install more crucial resources and infrastructure for the local community to use. This funding will also enable us to run free workshops at the garden again throughout summer 2024, so keep your eyes peeled for announcements on the Woodford Greeners website for our latest events and opportunities.

For more information on the Woodford Greeners and the workshops taking place in the walled garden, visit swvg.co.uk/wg

A 100-year-old local amateur dramatics company is making a comeback this May.

Members of the Woodford Operatic and Dramatic Society (WOADS), which has been dormant since 2015, will take to the stage at Redbridge Drama Centre for a series of one-act plays and monologues entitled Laughter in One Act (or less!), performed over three days from 17 May.

“We are excited to be back just in time for our 100th birthday. Join us for an evening that will delight and amuse!” said a spokesperson.

Visit swvg.co.uk/woads

Eastwood Green, off George Lane, has become a wonderful haven for bees and butterflies as well as a pleasant space for residents. Local gardener Stephanie Derby reports. Photos by Geoff Wilkinson

Opposite the roundabout on George Lane, Eastwood Green was started by a group of volunteers in autumn 2022, with the intention of transforming an uninspiring patch of grass into a vibrant haven for people and wildlife.

What a difference a year and a half has made! The wonderful work undertaken by the South Woodford Gardeners in the local area shows how much difference green space can make to our community. However, we also wanted the area to be low maintenance. All the work here is carried out by a team of fantastic volunteers in collaboration with the South Woodford Society and funding from Redbridge Council. What we have created is essentially a meadow, which includes a diverse mix of wild flowers and bulbs. The plants were selected to be drought-tolerant, so no watering necessary. The occasional weeding is all that’s needed, but we embrace the wild aesthetic. We’re also trialling some grass alternatives, such as chamomile and thyme. These plants are an attractive, low-maintenance option for those who like a lawn but don’t have time to maintain it.

As well as creating a pleasant space for residents to enjoy, one of the main goals of the project was to increase habitat and food sources for our struggling pollinators. We have seen a catastrophic decline in flying insects, with the numbers dropping by 60% in the past 20 years! Sadly, Britain is one of the most nature-depleted countries on the planet. Some of the reasons for the decline are habitat loss, food shortage and pesticide use. It is estimated that 84% of EU crops rely on insect pollination. If this continues, we may not have enough pollinators for all the crops we need, which is a scary prospect. 

The good news is we can change this. We all have the power to help reverse this worrying trend. Research shows that London gardens take up 24% of the land cover in the capital. With more areas being developed and habitats destroyed, our gardens are vital for wildlife. Pollinators use our gardens as ‘green corridors’ to move between their nests and feeding sites. Some species, such as certain solitary bees, only travel as little as 100 metres, so it is crucial for them to have nectar sources close by. As a professional gardener and designer, my top tips for a wildlife-friendly garden would be: reduce hard landscaping; avoid artificial grass; introduce pollinator-friendly plants; and stop the use of pesticides. There are many more I could include, were it not for my word limit!

Our little project at Eastwood Green is showcasing the difference a few plants can make as we’ve seen huge increases in pollinator numbers over the past year. We’ve now installed benches, so I would encourage anyone to take a rest there and observe all the bees, butterflies and hoverflies that are enjoying the flowers we’ve provided for them.

To help with Eastwood Green gardening, email e18society@gmail.com

For more information on gardening and wildlife, follow Stephanie on Instagram @stephanietaraderby

A leading authority on ancient and medieval paganism will be discussing attitudes towards human remains at the West Essex Archaeological Group’s free public lecture on 13 May.

“Traditionally, one of the most consecrated kinds of space is a grave… However, the contents of graves also represent one of the most valuable sources of information concerning ancient societies,” said Professor Ronald Hutton, whose presentation at Woodford Country High School is titled ‘How Sacred are the Dead?’

Visit weag.org.uk

Drivers can now use PayPoint locations to pay for parking in Redbridge.

“The PayPoint scheme gives people the opportunity to pay for a range of goods and services at local retailers signed up as a PayPoint site. More than 100 sites already exist across the borough, and since the start of March, they have been activated to accept payment for parking, including by cash,” said a council spokesperson.

The PayPoint scheme is offered in addition to the existing RingGo parking payment service.

Visit swvg.co.uk/paypoint

Open-air theatre company Illyria will return to Wanstead Park this summer with three family-friendly performances.

The new season begins on 21 July with Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Gondoliers, followed by The Hound of the Baskervilles on 13 August and Doctor Dolittle on 24 August. The South Woodford Village Gazette is offering a pair of tickets as the prize for this issue’s crossword competition.

Visit swvg.co.uk/wp24

A Principal Inspection is to be carried out on the George Lane Viaduct as part of Redbridge Council’s structures inspection and maintenance programme.

It will follow work to replace the expansion joints on the bridge, which began in April.

“We are continuing at pace with the works and are aiming to finish ahead of schedule. We will update the parking suspension signage once contractors complete a full side of the joint renewals. This will allow some parking on The Viaduct whilst the work continues,” said a spokesperson.

A jumble trail in aid of Haven House Children’s Hospice will take place across South Woodford on 19 May.

“This exciting event will bring together local residents who will be selling pre-loved items on their doorsteps. Come along and explore the local streets to discover hidden treasures. Whether you’re a buyer or seller, it’s a fantastic opportunity to find bargains and make new friends,” said a spokesperson. Stallholders must register by 17 May (£5).

The event is being supported by Stow Brothers (no commercial stalls are permitted).

A trail map is available online.

To register a stall, click here.

Barts Health Trust has raised doubts over the continuation of bed-based end-of-life care facilities in the new Whipps Cross Hospital.

“At this time, the analysis of data does not support re-providing the current bed-based services of the Margaret Centre in the new facility.”

The statement also highlights that it is “too soon to make firm recommendations” and a decision on the Margaret Centre’s future is pending. The first phase of construction of the new hospital is expected to begin this summer.

Visit swvg.co.uk/mcfuture

Snaresbrook station car park has closed ahead of the construction of two blocks of flats on part of the site.

“This will allow work to deliver 74 new affordable homes to commence. Due to the complexities of the construction work, there will be limited access to Blue Badge spaces, but we will work to keep these spaces available as much as possible during construction,” said a spokesperson for Places for London, TfL’s commercial property company.

A smaller car park with 22 spaces is expected to reopen in spring 2026.