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Local resident Dr Mark Hayden is the Redbridge Climate Safe Streets Champion for the London Cycling Campaign and believes urgent action is needed to make our streets safe for active travel

In October 2021, I cycled from Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) to Glasgow for the COP26 summit. Alongside 70 paediatric healthcare providers and two GOSH patients, I completed the 500-mile ride to highlight the lack of action to protect children across the world from toxic air pollution. We carried urgent messages from GOSH patients, the World Health Organization and a healthy climate prescription signed by organisations representing 46m health workers. But did anyone listen?

Undeterred, I am now working with the London Cycling Campaign as the Redbridge Climate Safe Streets Champion to pressure politicians standing in the May local elections to commit to taking action to protect children.

Redbridge sits in 31st place out of the 33 London boroughs on the 2021 Healthy Streets Scorecard, and things are looking bleak unless change comes soon. Our borough has one of the lowest active travel rates in London, possibly because we also have one of the highest rates of pedestrians and cyclists killed or seriously injured. And we have done little to make our streets healthier compared to other boroughs (in 2018, an estimated 21 people in South Woodford and Churchfields died as a result of air pollution). We have very few school streets or safe cycle routes. We simply haven’t done enough and need urgent action to make our streets safe for active travel.

This is the local election that counts the most. Politicians can no longer delay action – they need to be big and bold now. Climate plans mean nothing if action does not follow. And action on cycling equals action on climate. Electric cars are not the answer for saving the climate, let alone congestion, pollution, inactivity and road danger. People and streets can change – change can attract a lot of noisy opposition, but most people do want better streets and most London motor vehicle journeys could be done other ways.

Everyone gets the urgency; a Conservative government, the Labour Mayor of London and all the experts are basically saying the same thing – we need a lot more cycling and a lot fewer cars, fast. But are we listening?

I am thrilled by the impact of the school streets initiative on Ingatestone Road in Aldersbrook, where I live. I love taking my dog for a walk in the morning and seeing the street full of kids and parents on bikes instead of speeding or idling SUVs. But in South Woodford, not only do we have the misfortune to have the A406 running through it, we have been given little quality infrastructure for active travel compared to our lucky neighbour, Upper Walthamstow.

For more information on the London Cycling Campaign, visit swvg.co.uk/lcc

The first in a three-part series of seasonal walks along the Roding Valley took place in February.

Hosted by Vision RCL’s Nature Conservation Team, the winter walk started at Ray Park in Woodford and followed the Roding south to Wanstead. “These walks are about exploring the length of the river and surrounding green spaces. Do join us for our spring walk on 7 May. Details of our summer event will be released soon. Sign up to our newsletter for more details,” said Anna MacLaughlin.

Register for the spring walk here.

Sign-up to the monthly Nature Conservation in Redbridge newsletter here.

Local mum Lydia Fraser-Ward is celebrating after successfully securing a free air quality monitor for Elmhurst Gardens. Photo by Geoff Wilkinson

Breathe London’s community programme, which is managed through a partnership between the Mayor of London and Imperial College London, opened in late 2021 and has been designed specifically for individuals, community leaders and grassroots organisations to apply for an air quality node in their neighbourhood. These pieces of smart technology are solar powered and measure nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter in the air, both of which are incredibly dangerous to human health.

I first became concerned about air pollution in Elmhurst Gardens when I started using the park last year with my two-year-old son. We’ve always enjoyed the children’s play area, which has been so beautifully maintained by conservation volunteers and local residents. However, considering the close proximity of the playground to the North Circular, it became impossible for me to ignore the constant stream of traffic and the impact it could be having on my son’s health. I started doing some research and realised there was no air quality monitoring near the park, or indeed in any children’s playgrounds or parks in Redbridge.

Most people think that because parks are open spaces air pollution can’t be a problem, but it all depends on where the facilities are in relation to nearby roads and other sources of toxic air.

An Imperial College research project took one-off readings in every London park back in 2019 and I was shocked to discover that, at that time, a quarter of outdoor playgrounds in London exceeded legal limits for air pollution.

Since then, I have been campaigning for more air quality monitoring in South Woodford, and have recently set up a branch of Mums for Lungs in Redbridge, a community group for local parents and residents concerned about neighbourhood air pollution.

My successful application to Breathe London has also caught the attention of Redbridge Council’s Pollution and Public Health Team, who have agreed to put in their own diffusion tube monitor, which will take readings of nitrogen dioxide in the playground over the next six months. Parents have been asked not to touch the tubes if they see them as this could invalidate the results; they have been mounted high up, out of reach, to prevent children from touching them.

I’m so delighted to have these monitors in place and I’m grateful to all the residents, councillors and community groups who helped me with this application, particularly the South Woodford Society, who really helped me get started, and the Friends of Elmhurst Gardens, who did a great job of spreading the word.

The data from the monitors will tell us once and for all if the air in Elmhurst’s playground is dangerous. If it is, then we can use that evidence to lobby for additional measures, like extra trees or a green screen to ensure local children and park users are protected.

The Breathe London node is due to be installed in Spring 2022 and will be in place for 12 months. For more information, visit breathelondon.org

To contact Lydia and for more information about Mums for Lungs Redbridge, email mumsforlungsredbridge@gmail.com

Healthwatch Redbridge is calling for better NHS dental services in the borough following the publication of their findings from a survey on dental care.

“In some cases, patients were told they would have to wait more than three months for an emergency dental appointment,” said a spokesperson. NHS dental costs were also cited as confusing. ”Some patients told us they were unaware they were being treated as a private patient, ending up with expensive treatment costs.”

Visit swvg.co.uk/dentalcare

Residents seeking to improve community facilities in Elmhurst Gardens are continuing discussions with Vision RCL.

“We were pleased to meet with Vision’s head of parks recently and are in constructive discussions about the need for investment and ideas to improve the space… There are a number of unanswered questions about the proposals for a nursery in the former bowls club site, and a report auditing the tender process concludes that a better consultation should have taken place,” said Elmhurst for Everyone campaigners.

The Thames21 project is making improvements to the River Roding adjacent to Wanstead Park. Catchment Partnership Development Officer Will Oliver provides an update in the second of a series of articles

The environmental charity Thames21 has joined forces with Vision Redbridge Culture and Leisure, City of London (Epping Forest) and the Friends of Wanstead Parklands to improve habitats within a stretch of the River Roding bordering Wanstead Park.

By adding fallen trees to the channel, we can provide homes for a wider variety of animals and plants by encouraging the river to ‘rewild’ itself away from its current straight, featureless form.

In the last edition of the South Woodford Village Gazette, I discussed in more detail how this process works. But before work on the Roding could begin, we first had to secure a Flood Risk Activity Permit (FRAP) from the Environment Agency (the government body responsible for protecting the environment).

Bar a few exceptions, all work that happens in a main river or on its floodplain must have a FRAP. This permit is only granted if the work will not increase the flood risk to properties or businesses. Since my last article, the Thames21 river restoration team have written up their plans to improve the Roding alongside Wanstead Park through the addition of staked and secured fallen trees. These plans were submitted to the Environment Agency and, at the end of February and the beginning of March, the work got underway.

I’d like to take this opportunity to highlight a similar project which Thames21 has recently completed on the River Cray at Footscray Meadow, Bexley in south London.

The River Cray is one of only 200 chalk streams in the world. Unlike rivers such as the Roding, which receive large amounts of rainwater, chalk streams are almost entirely fed from underground water stores, which rise through chalk bedrock. This filtered water means a chalk stream should run crystal clear. Just like the Roding, the River Cray has been artificially straightened and widened over the years, reducing the value of the habitats it holds. In 2020, Thames21 worked with local volunteers to introduce 16 fallen trees to the river channel alongside Footscray Meadow. The photo above shows a section of the Cray before and after fallen trees were used to narrow the channel. Already, the processes described in my last article have been kick-started with the river developing wilder areas for animals and plants to thrive.

Fingers crossed, we’ll soon be seeing similar improvements in the Roding!

For more information on the Thames21 project in Wanstead Park and other areas, email will.oliver@thames21.org.uk

Redbridge Council will be hosting a women’s safety walk around Woodford on 14 March.

“Women and girls are invited to point out to us any places where they do not feel safe around the Woodford Station area and share any suggestions on how we can make improvements. We will also be joined by colleagues from the Metropolitan Police. Although this is a female-only event, there may be male enforcement officers present. Meet by the station car park entrance at 6pm,” said a spokesperson.

Visit swvg.co.uk/wsw

A rescue package of works to restore Wanstead Park’s historic Grotto will begin in March.

“The Grotto was damaged by fire in 1884 and while it has had patchy repairs over the past 138 years, it has been badly declining and is on the Heritage at Risk Register. The edges of the landing stage have been crumbling. Major stones have been dislodged and the banks are now collapsing,” said a spokesperson for the Heritage of London Trust, which has raised £24,000 for the first phase of this project.

Visit swvg.co.uk/grotto

A leading exponent of the bandoneon – a concertina-style musical instrument – will be performing at St Gabriel’s Church on 19 March as part of the Valentine Singers’ Misatango concert (7.30pm; £15).

“We are delighted South Woodford resident Julian Rowlands, who often plays on Strictly Come Dancing, will be part of our event. The concert is quite unusual. It will include a Mass written by an Argentine composer in a tango style. A fusion of words from the past with music of the present,” said a spokesperson.

Visit swvg.co.uk/vs

Woodford Historical Society has returned to in-person events.

“Following a period of online sessions, we are pleased to have secured the hall at All Saints’ Church in Woodford Green for our March and April meetings, and we welcome visitors,” said Sue Ralph, chair of the Society.

On 24 March, former police officer Peter Lawrence will be talking about his time working for Scotland Yard, and on 21 April there will be a talk on ‘The Mysterious Meridians of Highams Park’.

Events start at 2.30pm (visitors: £3).

Visit swvg.co.uk/history

To get involved, email Exco.52ndefs@Gmail.com

A new shooting range at the South Woodford Scout Hut is just one of many activities members of the 52nd Epping Forest South Scout Group can look forward to, says Stephanie Woodley in the first of two articles

Back in 2016, our Scout group nearly folded due to a lack of volunteers. This is, sadly, a common theme for many organisations that are reliant on individuals volunteering their spare time to help. However, following support from another local group and amazing efforts by our current Scout Leader, the group has been going from strength to strength in recent years.

We now have three sections running two evenings each week. Beavers (six- to eight-year-olds) meet on a Monday, followed by the Scouts (10-and-a-half- to 14-year-olds), with the Cubs (eight- to 10-and-a-half-year-olds) meeting on a Tuesday.

You may have seen us in South Woodford the Saturday before Remembrance Sunday in November 2021, supporting the Royal British Legion by helping with the Poppy Appeal. All our group were proud to support this worthy cause with Beavers, Cubs and Scouts (and parents) joining in for at least an hour; collecting by the bus stop on George Lane and the eastbound entrance to the Tube Station. We raised an amazing £870 from the local community, so many thanks to all those who donated. The group also donated £220 last year to Redbridge Foodbank (from funds raised at our fireworks night).

The group attend regular camps, camping at Gilwell Park last October and recently hiking to Fairmead Scout Camp (staying overnight in a wooden lodge). We are also looking forward to a camping trip in May to Brownsea Island in Dorset (the birthplace of the Scouting movement) and are raising funds to subsidise the transport costs for this exciting adventure, holding a fundraising bingo session on 25 March.

The executive committee is expanding the range of activities the group can enjoy and have recently invested in an air rifle shooting range. This is a facility we will be able to share with other scout groups in our district. We were really pleased that the Mayor of Redbridge officially opened the range for us on 3 March.

We are keen to expand the group but rely on volunteers so we can continue to run. Please do get in touch if you would like to get involved as there are many ways to help; leading groups, helping when sessions are running or administrative support, such as keeping the website up to date. We are also interested in getting involved with the community, so please let us know if there is something our group can do to help others.

We look forward to providing a further update on the official opening of the shooting range and amount raised at the bingo evening in the next edition, as well as providing an update on future activities planned for the group.

The 52nd Epping Forest South Scout Group meets in the Scout Hut behind South Woodford Library. For more information, email Exco.52ndefs@Gmail.com