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South Woodford resident Michael Walford-Grant is using his recent book publishing deal to raise funds for The Compassionate Friends, an organisation that supports bereaved parents

In 2002, on a cold, dark November morning, my wife and I lost our beautiful boy, William. He was 13 years old, doing his paper round on his bike before school to save up enough money to go on holiday to Disney World in Florida. He was our only child. The loss was devastating. The memory of the policeman arriving at our front door at 7.30 in the morning will remain with me forever.

Since then, my wife and I have rebuilt our lives, one slow, painful step after another. We have both experienced some very dark moments along the way. 

In 2017, I joined The Compassionate Friends as a helpline volunteer. The charity provides a range of support services for bereaved parents and siblings. I help most Monday evenings. Because all the volunteers have experienced the loss of a child, the parents calling the helpline really appreciate the fact that when they call, they get to speak to someone who has gone through something similar to them. The work is very satisfying, albeit emotional at times. 

Away from the charity, in November of last year, I signed an international book publishing deal with an American publishing house. I am not an author, so securing the contract was, and is, very exciting. I am an experienced sales professional, and after a career of working for companies, I decided to start my own sales consulting practice. One month before the pandemic hit, so not great timing!

However, it is through this that I came up with the idea for the book Sales Unplugged: The Invaluable “Go To Guide” for Busy B2B Salespeople. It is a book of sales best practices, targeted at business-to-business sales professionals. It took about nine months to put together and draws upon a vast array of materials and experience, acquired and collated over a career spanning more than 30 years. Part two of the book is a collection of stories and anecdotes, ranging from the dramatic to the funny to the deeply personal. The locations for the stories include Dublin, New York, Abu Dhabi and Austria, plus, of course, my home town, London. 

I am proud of my profession and passionate about giving something back after experiencing my loss, which is unlike any other type of bereavement. So, I am using my book to raise funds. 

The charity is always in need of money to enable us to continue to support bereaved parents and siblings with a comprehensive range of support services. My target is to raise £1,000 by the end of the year.

If you would like to donate, and optionally acquire a copy of the book, it would mean a great to deal me. Thank you.

For more information and to donate, visit swvg.co.uk/tcf

Faiza Shaheen, the Labour Party’s prospective parliamentary candidate for Chingford and Woodford Green, responds to Sir Iain Duncan Smith’s article in the last issue about local policing

Since 2010, under successive Conservative governments, we have seen unprecedented real terms cuts in multiple areas of public services. The police system has not escaped this short-sighted and dangerous experiment.

The police force was cut savagely in the 2010s, with some recovery in numbers in the last few years once the damage was becoming clear. The shortfall is still evident, with analysis of Home Office figures finding that overall, there has been a cut of over 10,000 neighbourhood officers and PCSOs from frontline policing since 2010, even after the recent uplift is factored in. Government funding for policing has fallen by 20% since 2010, with London being particularly hard hit. 

The impact is devastating for our sense of safety and the functioning of the police. Nearly 95% of crimes went unsolved by the police between April 2022 and March 2023. Add to this the cuts to the criminal justice system, youth services, mental health services and legal aid and you start to get the picture of the extent of the damage to an ecosystem that is meant to be designed to uphold safety and address criminality.

For Iain Duncan Smith to blame Sadiq Khan for the closure of the police station in Woodford given this context is both misleading and hypocritical. The majority of Sadiq Khan’s policing budget comes from central government, and just like Boris Johnson before him, he has been forced to close police stations across London as a consequence of cuts by the Conservatives. And after holding on to Uxbridge in the recent by-election, the Conservatives see political currency in bashing and blaming Sadiq Khan at every turn to avoid scrutiny of their own record – but the truth is police stations have been closing at the rate of one a week across the country since 2010.

If I am elected as the MP for Chingford and Woodford Green, the area I grew up in and live in, I want to bring a different brand of politics. One not about blatant lies and misinformation, but about a focus on the solutions and working with the community to bring positive change for our neighbourhood. Too many of us have faced cars being stolen or homes being broken into. I back Labour’s plan to restore neighbourhood policing with 13,000 new officers and PCSOs. My priority will also be on tackling the root problems by fighting for more youth spaces, like the one that has just been opened at the housing development at the former dog racing stadium after community pressure and funding from Waltham Forest Council. The UK economy is still faltering from the disastrous tenure of Liz Truss – who was Iain Duncan Smith’s favoured candidate for Prime Minister – but with a new government and a new MP, we will finally have the fresh start we so desperately need.

Faiza Shaheen is the Labour Party prospective parliamentary candidate for Chingford and Woodford Green. For more information, visit swvg.co.uk/shaheen

Local resident Delia Ray, a volunteer for countryside charity CPRE London, explains how the people of Wanstead and Woodford can help with a bold plan to mitigate the impact of climate change on the capital

Imagine a ring of trees providing shade and tranquillity in a seamless circle around London. Linking with existing areas such as Epping Forest, the woodland would absorb pollution, cool the environment and provide safe passage for local wildlife. 

It sounds like a dream, but countryside charity CPRE London is working with expert partners (such as The Woodland Trust) to make this ‘M25 of trees’ a reality. By planting saplings or reforesting neglected sites, gaps will be filled and access enhanced across the green belt.

We now need help from people in outer London areas such as Wanstead and Woodford with the first step: mapping areas which offer potential for planting. These places could include overlooked plots of land near existing woods, empty borders of a park, or fly-tipped scrubland. They could be council land, privately owned or part of the estate of schools or churches.

One site already highlighted to the team in Redbridge is the stretch of the River Roding near Chigwell Road (as pictured here). Borderland such as this could host new trees linked to neighbouring woodland, reducing run-off and flood risk. Other possible locations are the patch of overgrown land behind Eagle Pond, within the grounds of Snaresbrook Crown Court, and the land between Wanstead Park and Valentines Park, especially the overgrown spaces adjacent to the Roding. Can you identify any more locations? At this point, we’re simply mapping possible sites, and we will find out who owns them in follow-up stages. 

The next step will be planting. Like a natural forest, the new tree ring community forest will contain native trees, but also hedgerows, open plains, and even cultivated areas such as orchards, areas of nut trees and wooded margins for nature-friendly farming.

The forest will build on existing woodland in the green belt. The project directly addresses key requirements of the London Urban Forest Plan to create more woodland, especially species-rich woodland, in London. It encourages biodiversity, supporting vulnerable species such as the hedgehog and Pipistrelle bat. It will also help residents to enjoy access to nature – essential for the 1.8m Londoners with no garden, including an estimated 100,000 in Redbridge.

Currently, swathes of London’s green belt are under threat. The tree ring will therefore also help the green belt do its job. Without it, London could have spread out like Los Angeles, potentially sprawling across an area from Cambridge to Brighton.

Can you help bring this vision to life? If you know of possible locations for new woodland creation, please get in touch. There are also lots of opportunities to donate or get involved in other ways.

For more information and to submit your ideas, visit swvg.co.uk/treering

Residents are invited to help improve habitats and food sources for pollinators by taking part in Redbridge Council’s tree pit adoption and Pollinator Pathways schemes.

“When tree pits are adopted, the individual pits go onto the no-chemical spray list. In the case of Pollinator Pathway streets, the whole street goes onto the no-spray list,” said a spokesperson. Last year, over 560 tree pits were adopted in the borough, boosting biodiversity by growing wild flowers around the trees. Applications close on 31 December.

Visit swvg.co.uk/pits 

Volunteer bakers will be selling Christmas cakes this December to raise money for Haven House Children’s Hospice.

It follows the success of last year’s appeal, which saw 40 cakes sold in exchange for a donation to the Woodford Green charity, raising £1,288. “Thanks to all who continue to support us. If you would like to order a cake, please get in touch by 3 December. The suggested donation is £20 for a plain cake or £25 for an iced cake,” said organiser Sarah-Jane Mendonça.

Email havenhousechristmascakes@gmail.com 

A South Woodford organisation which supports children who have experienced domestic violence has launched a fundraising campaign.

“Our ‘Children Are Victims Too’ campaign highlights the impact of domestic abuse on long-term mental health and well-being. We want every child affected to be supported, which is why we are raising funds for our ‘practitioner pot’ to help us provide more hours of therapeutic counselling sessions,” said a spokesperson for Free Your Mind CIC.

Visit swvg.co.uk/fym

Often too busy to visit his Woodford constituency, Churchill would send his wife in his place. Now, director Chris Jaeger is bringing the play Mrs Churchill – My Life With Winston to South Woodford this November

Winston Churchill is one of the most famous Englishmen that has ever lived. Several years ago, he was voted first in a top 100 Englishmen poll. He is often portrayed as a bulldog because of his tenacity as a politician and his toughness on the international stage.

He was an MP for 62 years but there were many other sides to him. He was a talented painter, he wrote many books, winning a Nobel Prize for literature; and, of course, nobody could forget his biting humour (eg. Nancy Astor: “If I were married to you, I’d put poison in your coffee.” Winston: “If I were married to you, I’d drink it.”)

They say that behind every great man, there is a great woman. Was this true in Churchill’s case? What of Clementine, his wife of 56 years? Did he bully her like he did so many other people? Was he as grumpy and irascible at home as he often was in the House of Commons? Given his strength and conviction, did Clem have any influence on him at all? Or was she ‘the little lady at home’? The clue lies in another of Winston’s quotes. He said: “My most brilliant achievement was my ability to be able to persuade my wife to marry me.”

Despite his bullish and aggressive reputation, when Clem first met him, he was a tongue-tied, stammering young man with few social graces. Yes, he was already a war hero. Yes, he was already an established politician. But these were men-dominated areas and he’d had little contact with women. Clem was very unimpressed with him and they did not meet again for four years. It was better the second time, and despite Winston treading on her feet several times while dancing, they talked and talked and found they had much in common. Within six months, they were married.

In truth, Clem was really the only person who could control him. It didn’t happen very often, but when she put her foot down, he rarely went against her. A prime example was the D-Day landings. Winston wanted to be in the lead boat, but the navy was very unhappy about that and talked to Clem. She told him he wasn’t going… and that was that.

In the play, not for the first time, Winston is too busy to attend his local Woodford constituency and is sending Clementine. She says: “Tomorrow, I shall thank the good people of Woodford for their loyalty and their kindness. You have taken us both to your hearts and I’m delighted we’ve been able to serve you for 30 years and more.”

But what of her children, her life and her grief at his death? All these questions will be answered, and many more, in Liz Grand’s superb, moving, funny, sensitive and informative portrayal of Clementine Churchill. This was one of the great love affairs of all time.

Mrs Churchill – My Life with Winston will be performed at Redbridge Drama Centre in South Woodford on 17 November (7.30pm; tickets: £16.50). Visit swvg.co.uk/mrsc

Services of remembrance will take place across Wanstead and South Woodford this November.

Two events will take place on Armistice Day. The first will be at the Woodford War Memorial, outside St Mary’s Church in South Woodford (arrive by 8.40am). This will be followed by a service at the Snaresbrook Garden of Remembrance, off Snaresbrook Road, opposite Eagle Pond (arrive by 10.45am).

A final gathering will take place at the Wanstead War Memorial on the High Street on 12 November (arrive by 12.15pm).

A safety walk for women and girls will take place in South Woodford on 14 November.

“It’s a chance for you to walk with local police officers, pointing out the areas you feel unsafe in and suggesting how they can be improved,” said Councillor Rosa Gomez, who is organising the event in conjunction with the Churchfields Ward Panel and the Safer Neighbourhoods Team.

The one-hour walk will begin at the corner of Grove Road and Buckingham Road, departing at 4pm (no booking required).

Email SNTJI-Churchfields@met.police.uk

Artists from South Woodford are among those who will be exhibiting handmade prints at the Epping Forest Visitor Centre in Chingford from 7 November to 3 December.

“The prints in this exhibition explore many aspects of Essex and particularly Epping Forest. We are a group of local artists who meet at Bedford House in Buckhurst Hill. We use a small rolling press and a book press to experiment with a wide range of printmaking processes, including lino and wood cutting and silk screening,” said tutor Anne Daniels.

Visit swvg.co.uk/essexprint

The South Woodford Business Forum will host a networking event for local businesses on 16 November.

“Join us at the Luna Café, 127 High Road, from 5pm to 7pm to find out more about our work to support shops and businesses in the area. We will have several presentations, including from an experienced business coach. It will also be a great opportunity to meet other local businesses and to promote yours,” said a spokesperson for the group.

The event is free, but booking is required.

Visit swvg.co.uk/biz