Editor

Residents looking to enhance their communication skills or conquer their fear of public speaking are invited to join the Woodford Green Speakers’ virtual open house event on 26 September.

“We recognise the profound impact public speaking skills can have on personal growth and professional success, so join us for an enlightening session and gain confidence,” said a spokesperson for the club, which is affiliated with Toastmasters International. The free online event runs from 7pm to 9pm.

Visit swvg.co.uk/speak

Age UK is keen to raise awareness of its activity centre in Wanstead (also known as the Allan Burgess Centre).

“The centre has struggled to replenish visitor numbers since reopening after COVID. We run daily exercise, games and craft classes, and our fabulous new chefs, Teresa and Julie, prepare freshly cooked meals Monday to Friday,” said centre manager Jackie Balman. Located at 2 Grove Park (opposite the Co-op), the centre’s two-course lunches (£7) are available to any Redbridge resident aged 55 and over.

Call 020 8989 6338

Woodbridge High School is looking for local businesses to help with their careers programme.

“Much of this involves getting businesses into the school for a variety of interactions, from simply explaining their business, career prospects and apprenticeship schemes to mock interviews and workshops. It’s a real win-win opportunity and fulfils an important contribution to the community,” said Peter Hughes, who is part of the Mayor of London’s voluntary Enterprise Advisor Network.

Call 020 8504 9618 

With planning permission for the development of the former Woodford Police Station recently refused, Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP renews his call for a new permanent police hub in the Woodford area

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, made the appalling decision to shut the police station in Woodford in 2020, dismissing our concerns here that there would be no local police base as a result. Since then, my constituents and I have been campaigning for a new police hub.

The closure meant local Safer Neighbourhood Teams for Monkhams, Churchfields and South Woodford wards have been deprived of the police station they used as a base. Forced instead to travel every day from Barkingside Police Station by public transport.

The ludicrous outcome is that our local police spend a significant amount of time travelling in and out of Woodford, rather than policing the area. A hub here, which we have been promised, would free up more resource hours to tackle local crime. Importantly, being seen in the area would reassure residents.

I have been working hard to secure a permanent police hub in the Woodford area. I am pleased that the borough commander for Redbridge, Stuart Bell, following our campaign, has recognised the need for a police hub in Woodford to cover the wards of South Woodford, Churchfields and Monkhams. The campaign – which included a petition with over 2,000 signatures and a public meeting – made it clear residents want an increased police presence in the area. 

In the run-up to the local elections in 2022, Redbridge Council claimed they had secured a police hub; however, since then, no such hub has materialised. Peoples’ hopes were raised only to be dashed; they are now sick and tired of empty promises. I have lost count of the number of residents who have told me they want police who visit the local shops to be seen out and about deterring criminals, something they never see now. The public safety of those living in the area must be an absolute priority for Redbridge Council and the police. Residents want to see the police on the beat, knowing the police will respond quickly and efficiently to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour. Neighbourhood policing is at the core of cutting crime, and Safer Neighbourhoods Teams need to be appropriately resourced to tackle the challenges of their areas. 

Reducing local crime and antisocial behaviour has always been the priority for all of us. I am working closely with our local councillors and the police, and I welcome new Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley’s public commitment to neighbourhood policing. I welcome his confirmation of an extra 3,109 police for the Met, but repeat Woodford needs the police to have a proper patrol base to use their time efficiently for the benefit of my constituents. That’s why we need and want a police hub now!

Sir Iain Duncan Smith is the Conservative MP for Chingford and Woodford Green. For more information, visit swvg.co.uk/ids

The South Woodford Business Forum will be hosting a networking event for local business owners this autumn.

“Join us for an hour of fruitful conversations and engaging interactions as we aim to create a true business community in South Woodford… Local police officers will also be in attendance to listen to concerns of local business owners,” said a spokesperson for the group, which holds quarterly meetings to provide a voice for local businesses.

Details of the event will be published online.

Visit swvg.co.uk/swbf

Pearl Arbenser-Simmonds reports on a busy year for the South Woodford Pathfinder Group as they begin to finalise their work producing a local design code. But your input is still needed 

It has been a hectic 12 months and a bit of a rollercoaster ride since we were selected as one of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) Design Code Pathfinders in March 2022. We spent that time working in conjunction with JKA Architects, Azuko, DLUHC and Locality, with some support from Capita. The programme officially ended in May 2023 with the production of a draft design code. However, we are continuing to work on the code with the invaluable support of DLUHC, Redbridge officers and native north architects. 

The South Woodford Neighbourhood Forum was one of just four neighbourhood groups in England to have been selected to participate in this groundbreaking programme, to help us set our own standards for design locally. It’s all part of the government’s plans to level up across the country. The Design Code Pathfinder Programme aims to empower communities to have their say on the development of new homes, buildings and amenities in their area and help restore people’s pride in the places they live.

Design codes are important because they provide a framework for creating healthy, safe, sustainable and distinctive places, with a consistent and high-quality standard of design. This can provide greater certainty for communities about the design of development and bring conversations about design to the start of the planning process rather than the end. The built environment has a significant impact on health and well-being. It needs to feel safe and secure for all, including those who could be more vulnerable. Creating beautiful places requires a greener approach that supports progress towards national environmental goals. This means more energy-efficient buildings, well designed public spaces, enhancing nature and delivering progress towards meeting the net-zero carbon target by 2050.

We have regular meetings with Redbridge Council officers as we work to refine various aspects of the code following meetings with TfL and various other stakeholders. We are also continuing to work on the website to allow us to host a fully digital code. We hope to have the design code draft completed in time to allow us to run an engagement campaign this September. For those of you who may have been involved in the previous engagement campaign, you will be invited to participate again, but the process is open to everyone living within the Neighbourhood Forum boundary area (see website).

Now the design code work is almost complete, this has allowed us to pick up the Neighbourhood Plan again, with a view to completing both pieces of work within a year. Once again, we would ask if anyone has any skills they would be happy to share – particularly web design and content management – please do reach out to us.

For more information on the design code, visit swvg.co.uk/dc

Tickets are available for the first Wanstead Beer Festival, taking place in the halls of Christ Church on 14 October.

“The festival will include a number of real ales from the local area and beyond. There will also be craft ales, lagers and cider, and some carefully chosen wine and prosecco for non-beer drinkers,” said organiser Paul Donovan. Proceeds from the event – which runs from 1pm to 10.30pm – will be donated to local charities. The £12 ticket price (£10 in advance) includes a commemorative pint glass.

Visit swvg.co.uk/beer 

It all began in 2013, and now, as the Wanstead Fringe gears up for its 10th instalment of 100-plus cultural events, director Giles Wilson extends the invitation to South Woodford

You may not have noticed, but something has been going on in Wanstead for the past few years. It started small but has grown into something to be reckoned with.

It’s the Wanstead Fringe, an annual cultural arts festival, which this year is celebrating its 10th anniversary. It began as a handful of events back in 2013 – a bit of stand-up, an open-air cinema, a jumble trail and others – timed to coincide with the Wanstead Festival.

But over the subsequent few years, things took off. People wanted to arrange their own contributions. And this year, we have more than 100 events taking place in various venues around Wanstead between 9 and 30 September. We would love the people of South Woodford and Woodford, as our closest neighbours, to join us.

As in previous years, there will be comedy, a street party at The Duke pub and the Fringe jumble trail. But now, theatre is a central part of our programme – there are four plays showing this year, three of them upstairs at The Bull pub, near Wanstead Station. 

There will be 11 talks from authors – some local, some national – including one of the greatest living English novelists. The amount of music included is hugely expanded this year, with eight events including recitals and works by local composers and performers. International opera star Lucy Crowe and husband Joe Walters will again be transforming St Mary’s Church on Overton Drive into a magical venue for music. There will be a recital, Low Strings Drama, led by local composer Simone Spagnolo, which promises to be a unique blend of chamber music and drama soundtracks. Redbridge Brass Band, local singer-songwriters, singer Lydia Gerrard and local guitar virtuoso Peter Black also feature.

The event I’m looking forward to most is hearing from novelist Jonathan Coe, whose series of novels have told an authentic story about the changes in British life since the war. The event will have a vivid counterpart as Helen Day, historian of Ladybird Books, talks about the perceptions our society used to have of itself. Former BBC Arts editor Will Gompertz will tell us how we can adopt the ways artists look at the world to change our own ways of looking.

It’s our sponsors who have underwritten this growth. Vision RCL is very supportive and generous with its buildings, but we have built the Fringe without any public money – it’s an excellent example of what can happen when people do things for themselves. Nothing would make us happier than to have the readers of the South Woodford Village Gazette join us.

For more information on Wanstead Fringe events, visit swvg.co.uk/wf

Elmhurst Gardens in South Woodford is one of nine parks across Redbridge to receive the Green Flag Award for 2023.

“Parks and gardens are an important part of our community, and we appreciate the continued support from all the volunteers and staff at Vision RCL in maintaining our sites to such a high standard,” said Chair of Vision Trustees, Martin Solder.

The Green Flag Award scheme is managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy. This year, a total of 2,216 parks across the country received the award.

The Guide Dogs’ Redbridge hub is seeking volunteers from the Woodford area to foster a dog.

“Our fosterers provide loving homes for our dogs to relax in while they are in training. It can be a great way to add a dog to your home without long-term commitment,” said Volunteer Coordinator Phoebe Coles. Volunteer fosterers drop off their dog at the Woodford Green centre on weekdays between 7am and 9am and pick them up between 4pm and 6pm. All costs are covered and training is provided.

Call 07795 106 874

The South Woodford Society will be hosting a community gardening day on 24 September.

“In the last edition of the South Woodford Village Gazette, it was discussed how ‘green exercise’ is beneficial to both physical health and mental health. Our gardening day at the community orchard – which will start at 11am – will be an ideal opportunity to have a go,” said a spokesperson.

Located on the corner of Primrose Road and Mulberry Way, the orchard was created by the South Woodford Society in February 2021. The group is now keen to install a rainwater harvesting system on the site. “After attending a workshop at the Ray Park Walled Garden, we have started to discuss a design, which could involve fixing guttering to the railings on the viaduct, allowing us to collect rainwater before it enters the drains. As usual with all our projects, we would value community input, so do not hesitate to contact us.”

Email e18society@gmail.com