Editor

The first annual Blossom Day celebration took place at the South Woodford Community Orchard last weekend.

“This is our new annual event to enjoy the fruit trees, flowers and buzzing pollinators. Our team of fabulous volunteers celebrated in style with a hands-on gardening session. Everything is growing brilliantly at the moment, including the weeds, so most of the session was spent weeding the central bed where we planted raspberries a couple of months ago,” said a spokesperson for the South Woodford Society, which established the orchard in 2021.

And the site – located on the corner of Primrose Road and Mulberry Way – is set to undergo more development this summer, with plans to lay woodchip paths for better access around the plants. “Our next volunteer day will be held on 19 May from 11am; everyone of all ages is welcome!”

Email e18society@gmail.com

A Woodford Green resident has completed his 25th consecutive London Marathon, raising money for Samaritans while dressed in his iconic running telephone costume.

“Every step I take and pound raised could help train more volunteers, answer more calls for help and, ultimately, save lives,” said Dave Lock, who lost his brother Steven to suicide last year. The veteran runner – who completed the 26.2-mile course with his daughter Isabella in seven hours and 26 minutes – has raised over £50,000 for the charity.

Visit swvg.co.uk/lock

Maintenance work is to be carried out on the George Lane Viaduct in South Woodford for up to 12 weeks.

“We will be replacing the expansion joints on the Viaduct as part of our routine maintenance schedule,” said a Redbridge Council spokesperson.

The work will begin on 2 April, with the Viaduct closed in both directions that night between 9pm and 6am (local diversions, including for buses, will be in place).

After the night works of 2 April 2024, the Viaduct will be open to traffic but the road width will be reduced to accommodate the replacement of the joints. This work will take up to 12 weeks to complete.

“There may be restrictions on parking on the viaduct to ensure traffic can pass safely past the works. The council will also be undertaking a Principal Inspection of the structure over the coming weeks and months as part of its routine structures inspections programme. We apologise for any inconvenience caused by the closures and the part lane closure, which are essential for these works.”

Some South Woodford scribbles from DD, our resident diarist and observer of all things local. Illustrated by Evelyn Rowland

I’ve never been any good at painting. I am perfectly OK when giving the garden shed an occasional coat of preservative. If it’s a nice warm day. (I favour willow green.) But a ‘still life’ or a portrait? Impossible.

I do remember drawing a square box with four windows, a door, roof and chimney, identical to what the rest of the class produced when we were five. I recall my art teacher at Woodford High with great affection, but I think she appreciated my willingness to scrub up the palettes over the butler sink rather than any skill with brush on paper. David’s dad was a fine artist and my son is very gifted. So, there might be some talent hovering around in our genes. Perhaps I had always, secretly, wanted to advance beyond the kindergarten crayons stage. Over the years, I have assembled a large collection of sketchbooks and paints and brushes from jumble sales and markets. But putting them to use always seemed to slip down the priorities on my to-do list. 

So, when an invitation to enrol in a 14-week beginners’ art course came through the door last July, I put it to one side. And later picked it up again. “Are you thinking of doing that course?” asked David. “I’ll come with you if you like.” (Newspapers do regularly feature advice on exercising the brain by learning something new, don’t they? Especially as we get older.) We started in September. Within easy walking distance too, down at the Salvation Army premises on Daisy Road. The local residents must have become accustomed to the bevy of hopeful Picassos passing by, carrying their rather promising portfolios, every Thursday afternoon. We’ve both done our share of teaching in the past; now, we’d gone back to school. As very ‘mature students’.

A sense of community soon developed. “Avoid looking at other people’s efforts,” we were advised. But “stroll round and chat and see how others are doing,” was also recommended, which led to some much-appreciated mutual encouragement. Imagine my warm glow of hope when one fellow beginner, en route to the coffee and biscuits trolley, paused to comment: “You can definitely see that’s supposed to be a fox!” As the weeks went by, the social aspect of our ‘predicament’ intensified. We talked. “I’ve been taken right out of my comfort zone,” admitted Nicole. “I’m engrossed. This blocks out everything else. Great therapy.” I asked Eric how he came to register on the course. “I’m retired now. Wanted to get out of the house”. But it was so much more: Eric had visited Venice and Rome, been stunned by the lavish murals in churches large and small. “Everywhere you looked, astounding art. I wanted to learn more.”

Diane impressed me deeply as she explained and analysed her feelings. She had been the head of a primary school. Now, she was finding this course “immensely difficult”. She felt uncomfortable, even threatened by being unable fully to grasp and carry out the set projects. But underlying this discomfort was her deepened awareness of how this had probably been what some of her young pupils experienced when the smiling teacher urged them to tackle a challenging new task. Diane did admit that she had, just minutes before, managed to complete that day’s painting. Her daughter, leaving for work that morning, had called out: “Just try and enjoy it today, Mum.” Now, perhaps, things were moving that way. 

Valerie was only too happy to chat. Appreciated a pause to sit back and gaze at her progress so far. “I’ve never drawn a partridge before! I’m trying to decide if I’ve overdone it, or underdone it. You don’t want to spoil the OK bits of your picture. But is there some tweaking that could improve it? A picture has got to grab you, hasn’t it? There’s a Madonna in the National Portrait Gallery that I always make a beeline for. So beautiful. I could take it home with me. But I’m not a religious person.” Nagma was thoughtful too: “I’m loving the course. I feel I’m getting better. But I really wish we could all paint each other. I’d love to be a portrait artist.” Janice treated me to a dollop of delightful philosophy: “I’ve worked in a high-octane career all my life. There was no time to nurture any creative gift I might have had. What happens is, you sort of stop learning. When you do that you finish expanding yourself. This course is like going back to childhood! No weight of responsibility. You can start again. You don’t know what you are capable of until you try. It’s been a joy!”

And what about us? We’ve learnt about perspective and the basics of figure drawing. (But no nudes, in case you were wondering!) We’ve tried pencil sketches and watercolour landscapes, a trio of gorgeous figs in oil pastels. Assorted subjects in acrylics: David said my ‘abstract lemons’ looked like casserole dishes. I thought his looked like a cross between bulldog clips and high-viz helmets. A pair of shoes proved unexpectedly tricky as a subject. Our tutor described mine as “caricaturistic”, which I took to be her kindly way of saying “decidedly odd”. I realised when applying my final brushstroke that both shoes were for a right foot. We’ll never be hanging in the Tate Gallery. But we have been surprised by the pleasure of the experiment and even some modest sense of achievement. Next time we pack for a holiday, sketchbooks may well be included. Certainly, we have made a small step forward in appreciating more about the skill of the great artists. And the kids have had fun posting their comments on WhatsApp. One of the most challenging classes was dedicated to painting objects made of glass. “Could you tell which of us painted which?” David asked his daughter. “Of course,” she said. “DD painted one wine bottle and two glasses. You painted two wine bottles and one glass.”

To contact DD with your thoughts or feedback, email dd@swvg.co.uk

Local resident Roland Saunders discusses his interest in giving old photographs a new lease of life by recolouring them using artificial intelligence 

Recently, I’ve been looking at my collection of old photographs of Woodford and Wanstead. I have lived in South Woodford for most of my life, as did my parents and grandparents before me. During lockdown, I set up a Facebook group called Woodford, South Woodford and Wanstead Memories and Life to share these images, which I have enhanced to bring a new level of realism.

In the digital age, our ability to interact with and enhance photographs using artificial intelligence (AI) has reached unprecedented levels. One fascinating technique that has gained popularity in recent years is palette recolouring – a process that breathes new life into old photos. By applying modern colour schemes to vintage images, we revive memories, making them more vibrant and relatable to contemporary audiences.

Palette recolouring involves selecting a new colour palette for an image while preserving its original structure and details. This technique is not about altering the content of a photo but rather reimagining it through a fresh set of colours. It can be applied to black-and-white photos, sepia-toned images or faded colour pictures, effectively transporting them to a different era or infusing them with a contemporary aesthetic.

One of the key challenges in palette recolouring is maintaining the authenticity and emotional resonance of the original photograph. Artists and enthusiasts must strike a delicate balance between introducing new colours and preserving the historical or sentimental value of the image. Careful consideration of the subject matter, historical context and cultural nuances is essential to ensure the recolouring enhances rather than detracts from the photo’s significance.

Palette recolouring offers an opportunity to bridge the gap between the past and present. By infusing old photos with contemporary colour schemes, we can engage with historical moments more personally, such as seeing photos of the local area from 100 years ago in colour for the first time.

Recolouring vintage images allows us to gain a renewed appreciation for the past, fostering a stronger connection between generations. It is a means of ensuring the stories encapsulated in old photographs continue to resonate with those who come after us.

We still have some way to go before, as in the film Bladerunner, we can actually go inside the photograph and explore, but I’m sure we will be heading that way. I imagine one day, we’ll be able to combine multiple images and maps to create an explorable 3D area of the past. Using AI technology, we can already build missing parts of a picture, upscale the resolution and, of course, recolour them. Software is improving all the time, taking images to new levels of realism.

To join the Woodford, South Woodford and Wanstead Memories and Life Facebook Group, visit swvg.co.uk/wml

The South Woodford Society will be hosting a quiz night on 22 March.

“Everyone loved the last quiz night – so book now for our next event. You can book a whole table of eight to fill with your friends and family, or you can book individually or for a few of you, when you can either choose to go it alone or we can make up tables on the evening. Please bring your own refreshments – and there’ll be a raffle on the night. ” said a spokesperson.

The event will take place at the Wynndale Hall, Woodbridge High School, IG8 7DQ (6.30pm for 7pm).

Tickets: £8 per person (payable on the door).

Book now.

In the first of a series of articles to mark Churchfields Infants’ and Junior School’s 150th anniversary, former pupil Robert Batchelor (class of 1955) reflects on his memories of school milk and rationed toilet paper 

I started at Churchfields County Infant School in 1949. I didn’t like school from day one. As my birthday was in December, I started school in the January term. I was shown into my class, which consisted of children who had started together the previous September and had formed friendships and did not take kindly to a stranger being thrust into their midst. 

Having been brought up virtually as an only child, I had no wish to meet other children and would prefer to be back home with my mother. By the time morning playtime came around, I had had enough of the whole thing and set off to go home, hotly pursued by the teacher on playground duties, who pulled me back, much against my will.

The school day was broken up by playtimes, lunchtime and the morning milk round. Schoolchildren were each allocated one-third of a pint of milk each day. Older children were given milk monitor duties, which involved collecting the crates of milk and delivering them to classrooms, then later collecting the empties. I enjoyed this job; it got me away from my classmates and out of the classroom. Children often played with their milk bottles, spilling milk over the desks and floor, giving classrooms a strong smell of stale milk. This put me off drinking milk for life. 

At the end of the three years we could read, write and recite our times tables up to 12. On the last day, the top-year classes were marched into the playground and divided into four groups. We didn’t know it at the time, but we were being streamed into ability classes for the junior school next door. Much criticism is levelled today about streaming children by ability at 11 years old, but here we were, at seven, going through this process, purely on our teacher’s judgement and without any tests or exams. I went into the top class.

I entered Churchfields County Junior School in September 1951. My first-year teacher was Miss Pettit, with Mr Walford as headmaster. We were taught in classes of 60, with several classes to each year. If you needed to use the toilet, I recall the teacher would issue a regulation four sheets of toilet paper. Everything was still in short supply, after all.

My last winter at Churchfields was marked by heavy snowfall. One afternoon, the whole school was led out into the field, divided into two and told to attack in a snowball fight! When the time came to leave, I had mixed feelings. I realised the standard of education had been very good, and I had enjoyed good relations with all the teachers, and latterly made friends. However, I still regarded school as a necessary evil. Sadly, I didn’t keep in touch with any of my friends, and it wasn’t until many years later, through the medium of Friends Reunited, that I was able to contact some of them again.

For more information on Churchfields Infants’ School and Churchfields Junior School, visit swvg.co.uk/churchfields

Disputes concerning wills and inheritance can be tricky and sensitive, and the courts have jurisdiction to make changes, says Kavita Rana from local solicitors Edwards Duthie Shamash

When a person dies, their estate is administered in accordance with their wishes in the will. If the deceased does not have a will and dies intestate, the intestacy rules govern the distribution of the estate.

There are a number of grounds to contest a will. One ground considered by the courts is whether the deceased had the relevant mental capacity to understand their decisions at the time the will was signed. A person making the will must be of ‘sound mind, memory and understanding’. Dementia and old age is often a common complaint in deciding whether the deceased had capacity, but it is not the only factor. A failure to satisfy the test could result in the will being invalid.

It is important that any lawyer advising on the will checks whether the person making it understands the consequences of their actions and is of sound mind. If this did not happen, you may have a claim in negligence against the professional.

A will can also be overturned for undue influence. If you feel the deceased was pressured, forced or coerced into making the will or the content of it, this may give rise to an action to declare the will invalid.

If an individual feels they have been inadequately provided for in a will, this might result in a claim under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975. The law allows close family members and dependents to apply to the courts for reasonable financial provision from the estate, where there is inadequate provision in the will. Here, the will remains in place but the law protects individuals in certain circumstances. The court’s award will depend very much on the individual circumstances.

If an individual relied on the deceased’s assurance of property and acted to his detriment as a result, the courts have jurisdiction to enforce the promise and order that the property is transferred from the estate to the individual, even if the will does not provide for this.

In the recent case of Gee vs Gee, the court found in favour of a son, John, who was cut out of a promised inheritance of farmland worth in the region of £8m. John worked on his father’s farm since the 1970s for low pay and gave up his own career in reliance on his father’s promise that he would receive “the lion’s share” of the farm. Before he died, the father transferred the asset to his other son, Robert, in 2014. Despite this, the court awarded John a 52% controlling interest in the farm and 48% interest in the land.

Edwards Duthie Shamash is located at 149 High Street, Wanstead, E11 2RL. For more information, call 020 8514 9000 or visit edwardsduthieshamash.co.uk

A former local resident is seeking help to organise more litter-picking sessions at Eagle Pond in Snaresbrook.

“Myself and the other Fabulous Litter Pickers group leader no longer live here, so we can only organise monthly events. More locals would be great. When I lived in Wanstead, I litter picked every Sunday and got the litter down to a good level so we didn’t have to spend so long,” said Shelley Holmes. In February, 10 bags of rubbish were collected, including a knife, which was handed over to the police.

Visit swvg.co.uk/fabpick

Having moved from Toronto to South Woodford last year, law student Nashwah Turshin has found her new London home to be surprising and welcoming in equal measure

Throughout my life, I have always lived within cityscapes. My concept of a tranquil neighbourhood included the sounds of chaotic traffic and mumbled conversations right outside my window. If there was an absence of glass buildings in the background, I would consider it strange. The hustle and bustle of Toronto had always been my safe haven. For me, the notion of living outside an urban landscape was unimaginable.

When my home city is compared to my new one, I often hear: “London is the better Toronto,” followed by the similarities between the two. So, it was no surprise that I was under the assumption that all of London was essentially a giant Canary Wharf. You can imagine my surprise when I discovered it’s not.

I’m not going to lie; it’s been a tough adjustment. I was no longer falling asleep to the white noises of traffic sounds and murmured conversations outside my window. I was no longer waking up to the sunrise glittering over glass buildings. I no longer had a strip of coffee shops within five minutes from my home that were open until the early hours of the morning (as a university student, you can imagine the need for those). However, growth will never come without change, and one’s environment is often the most significant change. For any Gilmore Girls fans, I found comfort in knowing I was finally living out my Stars Hollow fantasy. 

In the past five months since my move, I’ve forged a routine that I religiously stick to. Rather than opting for the bus to the station, I relish the 15-minute stroll, taking in the lush greenery and the fresh, dewy morning air that was new to me. The mornings in South Woodford are so serene and are a great way to clear my morning grogginess and jump-start my day. George Lane holds a special place in my heart and I take frequent walks there. On the weekends, my roommate and I will walk around, making a mandatory stop at Bobo & Wild – the friendliest staff and the most welcoming ambience – for giggles and catch-up over coffee. 

Wherever I go, there is nothing but friendly faces and polite greetings. Watching the day-to-day lives of the abundance of families makes me think how this will be me one day, whether in South Woodford or elsewhere. I never thought I’d fit so well into the quiet, suburban life as I do now. 

Living in South Woodford has led me to conclude that life has a curious way of leading us to unexpected places, and we come to learn, grow and find unknown parts of ourselves in these foreign environments. My move has been so transformative, allowing me to embrace change. While I do occasionally mourn my old life, I find so much comfort knowing gentle South Woodford welcomed me with open arms.

Article submissions from residents and visitors are welcome. Visit swvg.co.uk

Inspector Chris Russell, who oversees neighbourhood policing for South Woodford, Churchfields and surrounding wards, explains how the Baroness Casey Review is improving local policing

A warm hello from your new neighbourhood policing inspector for north Redbridge. I recently joined the team in January and am based at Barkingside police station, where I oversee neighbourhood policing for South Woodford, Churchfields and 10 other surrounding wards.

I joined the Met in 2014 after a period of neighbourhood policing in South Wales, where I am originally from. I then took a leap of faith and moved to the bright lights of London. I initially worked in Barnet for six years on both neighbourhood and response policing. I then joined the Met’s counter-terrorism command, working at Heathrow and London City Airport before gaining promotion to sergeant. After that, I worked as a custody sergeant, later returning to response policing in Hammersmith and Fulham. Most recently, I’ve been working with police forces nationally on how we can improve the vetting of new officers and enhance the checks we do on serving officers to ensure our officers and staff are fit for purpose.

This takes me on to the Baroness Casey Review, which I’m sure most of you have heard of and has probably affected your opinion of us here within the Met. We invited the Baroness into our organisation and asked for a candid review of our culture and standards to identify how we can improve. The Commissioner then introduced the New Met for London plan in response to the review, which is a multifaceted approach to delivering more trust, less crime and high standards. The full report and a summarised version are available on the Met website. The key bit that will impact on the people of South Woodford is the plan to put more resources in to local policing and building the strongest neighbourhood policing ever. Work has already begun on this with the introduction of a dedicated neighbourhood superintendent for the Redbridge borough alone (compared to one for Redbridge, Barking and Dagenham and Havering previously) and three inspectors split across the north and south of Redbridge, along with Ilford town centre.

But what does this mean for you? We aim to prioritise the community’s needs in everything we do. We are listening to you and working with our partners to deliver better policing for London. Every ward will have at least two dedicated ward officers (police constables) and one police community support officer responsible for that area. It also means that, as an inspector, I cover less area and can fully focus on my wards to drive specific improvements. I’m more available to you, the community, and will have a better oversight on what is going on. I specifically requested this role and look forward to making Redbridge, and specifically South Woodford, a safer place to live, work and spend time in for us all.

For more information and to contact local police teams, email:

Wanstead Village SNT: sntji-wanstead-village@met.police.uk

Wanstead Park SNT: sntji-wanstead-park@met.police.uk

South Woodford SNT: sntji-south-woodford@met.police.uk

Churchfields SNT: sntji-churchfields@met.police.uk

The South Woodford Business Forum is keen to help more local businesses grow following a successful networking and information event held in February.

“We are fast gathering momentum in creating a strong business community. We strive to improve communication between businesses and provide support. If you would like to be involved in our next event or have any questions, please get in touch. All businesses from the local area are welcome,” said a spokesperson.

Visit swvg.co.uk/swbf