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Redbridge Council is giving away 50,000 spring-flowering bulbs in the return of its Big Bulb Giveaway.

“Since its launch three years ago, the much-loved initiative has continued to flourish, and we are giving away an extra 10,000 bulbs this year. Community groups, residents and schools can request the bulbs by completing an online form by 20 September,” said a spokesperson.

The giveaway will be followed by its partner event, The Big Planting Weekend, taking place between 15 and 17 October.

Visit swvg.co.uk/bbg

New recycling bins have been put in place at Sainsbury’s on George Lane.

“We recently replaced the recycling bins at our South Woodford store and customers can now recycle paper, card, mixed cans, mixed glass and plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays, as well as an Oxfam clothing bank,” said a spokesperson.

The previous recycling facilities were removed earlier this year.

The return has been welcomed given Redbridge Council’s kerbside recycling collections do not accept some plastic items.

Visit swvg.co.uk/plastic

A Food and Fun Day will mark the return of community events at St Mary’s Church on 11 September (10am to 3.30pm).

“The event will take place mainly outside on the drive and lawn, with everyone welcome,” said the church’s new rector Elizabeth Lowson.

Alongside the stalls and activities, attendees will also have the chance to experience the view from the church tower, and a craft market will take place in the adjacent Memorial Hall.

“This is an opportunity to once again sit and chat through the day with friends.”

Redbridge Council’s Local Forum for residents in the west of the borough will take place this evening (28 July, from 7pm).

“Residents who live or work in Monkhams, Bridge, Churchfields, South Woodford, Wanstead Village and Wanstead Park areas are invited to discuss any issues or concerns they may have,” said a spokesperson.

The Ashton playing fields, Wanstead’s swimming pool, wheelie bins and tackling crime are some of the topics which will be discussed during the online event.

Leader of the council, Councillor Jas Athwal, will open the event with a presentation on what’s happening locally, and will also take questions from the audience.

To join the event, click here.

Some South Woodford scribbles from DD, our resident diarist, commentator and observer of all things local

I have often written about memory. About memories as well, of course, but also about the faculty of memory itself. The gift of being able to recall and almost relive an experience. One of my readers has shared a memory with me. She tells me she absolutely loves living in South Woodford, and although her children left home some years ago, she has no intention of moving. I think we have much in common.

This is what she wrote: “I was pottering around in the front garden one spring afternoon when two older ladies slowly pulled over in their car outside my house. The driver (who turned out to be the daughter of the even older lady, now in her mid-90s) got out and tentatively asked if I had lived here long, as it had once been the childhood home of her mum. Oh, I had to ask them both in! They were both thrilled to be asked to do so. She admitted she remembered nothing of the interior of the house, except the steps down into the ‘morning room’ and kitchen. However, when she stepped into the back garden, her eyes filled with tears as she looked up at the massive pear tree in full blossom. ‘My dad planted that as a sapling when I was a little girl,’ she said.”

This story reminded me of an occasion when I couldn’t resist knocking on the door of the house where I spent my early childhood. It’s in Hillside Avenue, ‘below the line’ in Woodford. My sister was with me so I expect she egged me on. We weren’t invited in. Other guests were expected. But we did chat on the doorstep. It still looked exactly as it appears in a photograph of me and my brother, standing on it and proudly wearing our primary school uniform.

In a way, we are all making and storing up memories now. For most of us, I suspect, this is a unique period in our lives. We will retain vivid memories of our Covid-19 experience. We will say: “Yes, we were there. We stayed strictly indoors.” “Nothing special in that!” our great-grandchildren might say. Until they understand that this continued for many months and all holidays had to be cancelled. We observed social distancing. We wore masks and formed ‘bubbles’. We sanitised our hands and wore protective gloves. And we waited. What were we waiting for? Most of all, I suppose, it was for the restoration of what we previously recognised as ‘normality’. But meanwhile, we waited for the ‘R number’ to come down, once we’d grasped – I think – what the implications of it were. We waited to receive the invitation to be vaccinated. (One day, one of my neighbours called out to me from the pavement as she hurried past: “I feel like I’ve won the pools! I’m off to the Hawkey Hall for my first jab!”) We waited to feel secure enough to dare to go shopping, to ride on a bus and on the Underground. We waited for the glorious red-letter day when we would be able to meet and hug each other again.

Meanwhile, we developed coping strategies like my (frankly rather amazing) reader with the pear tree. Read how she has been confronting the virus: “Despite being retired, I have never once felt bored or listless. I walk every morning for an hour or so, come rain or shine. I’ve explored the River Roding, going further afield through that hinterland area beside the M11 and A406 which leads to Claybury Park. (How is it that the tower dominates the landscape, yet once you’re in the woods, you can’t get a glimpse of it close up?!) I walk regularly to Gilbert’s Slade, tucked in that wedge of forest land between Waterworks roundabout and Hollow Ponds – what a sanctuary. Or on rainy days, a brisk walk up to Wanstead and around the backstreets keeps me occupied. I do all my exercise classes, previously held at The City Lit or Mary Ward Centre, via Zoom. Yoga and Pilates work well, but Zumba isn’t quite the same! Our book club, usually based at Tim’s Creative Biscuit cafe in George Lane, still meets monthly via Zoom. We’ve recently started community gardening again on the bridge beds and in George Lane. I’m booked to open my garden again for the National Garden Scheme in mid-July, so I’m busy propagating seeds at present. Anyway, here’s wishing you well and I look forward to retaining many aspects of my lockdown routine once we move back to a more open society.”

I wonder: What will this “more open society” be like? Has Covid changed us? Have our neighbourhoods been quietly growing closer through our collective clapping and our universal expressions of “Thank you to the NHS”? Plenty of houses near me have “Thank you, postman” in the front window. Plenty of strangers call out: “Keep well!” as you pass. Our next-door neighbour expressed disappointment when we said we could manage better now with the confidence that the double jab had instilled. “But I really enjoyed getting your texts with the shopping lists and dropping the bags in your porch.” I steer clear of politics and I’m not making a political point, but didn’t Mrs T famously claim that “there’s no such thing as society. There are individual men and women and there are families. And no government can do anything except through people, and people must look after themselves first”? The experience of the last few months doesn’t seem to support this view.

The paradox at the heart of the pandemic is that the government agenda designed to keep people at a distance from each other and reduce communication may well have strengthened ties in the community and shone a bright light on the things that really matter and make life worthwhile and on the key people who really keep the ship afloat. We need handshakes and hugs; elbows are not enough.

The latest stamp duty holiday is over, meaning buyers need to be aware of the implications to their chain and mortgage offer, says Derek Inkpin from local solicitors Wiseman Lee

All good things, as we know, come to an end. The amount of financial help given by the government since March 2020 in the relaxation of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) rules has been considerable and with it, a knock-on effect on price increases. Gazumping has reappeared in some cases. But the SDLT holiday ended on 30 June.

With effect from 1 July 2021, the £500,000 threshold for UK main residence property reduces to £250,000 until 30 September 2021, and then from 1 October 2021, the threshold reverts to its previous level of £125,000. If you are buying an additional property, whether as a buy-to-let or a second home, a 3% surcharge applies to the current SDLT regime.

Whether you can still make an SDLT saving up to 30 September 2021 depends on the chain. A short chain of transactions should mean exchange of contracts and completion by 30 September, but unless as a buyer you are aware of these changing rules, don’t forget that an increase to SDLT could take you beyond your budget. Even if as a buyer you are financially OK to proceed, it is worth checking that the other buyers in the chain have the funds to pay the new SDLT rate due up to 30 September and, of course, even worse, if completion takes place after 1 October.

Another point worth checking is the fine print of your mortgage offer and whether the lender has imposed a condition that the purchase can only proceed providing the SDLT concession is still available.

In areas where there are significant delays in obtaining searches, it might be possible to obtain a personal search or, at additional cost, search delay insurance. However, in each case, it will be necessary to check with the lender whether either of these measures is acceptable because if not, the delay in exchanging and then completing after September will likely upset the SDLT apple cart.

Change of subject – for many years, people selling properties subject to Capital Gains Tax (CGT) could report their CGT gains and pay their tax in the next financial year. Not so now – from 6 April 2020 in the sale of taxable residential properties, CGT tax returns and the payment due must be made within 30 days after completion of the sale. Do this late and you will become liable for interest on late payment and possibly HMRC penalties.

Finally, a new Ground Rent Reform bill is proceeding through Parliament. The aim is to stop onerous and rising ground rents from affecting future long leaseholds. The scandal of doubling ground rents every few years needs to be resolved urgently. Hopefully, this will become law in 2023.

Wiseman Lee is located at 9–13 Cambridge Park, Wanstead, E11 2PU. For more information, call 020 8215 1000

Trinity Catholic High School pupil Nate Harding has become an Energy Envoy for the National Energy Foundation. Here, the 14-year-old explains why, and introduces the awareness poster he created

My name is Nate Harding and I live in South Woodford. Just after starting Year 9, I signed up to do the Duke of Edinburgh award. I was really looking forward to doing this; however, there was the tiny issue of a second lockdown just after I began.

The Duke of Edinburgh scheme had already begun adapting to the many issues that lockdown brought, gathering together various schemes you could still take part in, even remotely.

One of these schemes was the opportunity to become an Energy Envoy for the National Energy Foundation. This idea really appealed to me as I have been interested in issues such as climate change and energy consumption for some time. I regularly remind everyone at home to be more energy efficient by turning off lights and switching off devices not in use.

To become an Energy Envoy I had to commit to spending an hour or two a week over a three-month period completing learning modules and undertaking an awareness campaign. For part of this, I had to create and launch a poster, highlighting an aspect of what I had learnt. I chose to do ‘energy awareness’ and concentrated on looking into small energy-saving actions that everyone could do at home.

I wanted to highlight ideas ranging from the smallest and cheapest of solutions through to some longer-term investments, like insulation. Part of my campaign was to demonstrate not only the energy savings but also the financial ones too. Did you know that just turning down your thermostat by 1°C could save you up to 10% off your annual heating bill (between the 18°C–21°C range)?

After creating my poster, I used my parents’ social media accounts to highlight what I had been working on. Part of being an Energy Envoy is to raise awareness in your local community and to report back on how your campaign has been received.

One of the ways I also used social media was to ask my mum to place my poster on our street WhatsApp group. We live on a long road in South Woodford and have many neighbours. This was well received, with one of our neighbours even sending through further information for me to read up on.

It’s been great to get involved in this scheme for the National Energy Foundation and also incredibly useful that they have created something that anyone can get on board with – even during a pandemic.

I intend to keep going with my efforts at home as climate change and energy issues are a huge challenge to the world we live in, a world we all want to keep on enjoying.

Click here to download Nate’s poster

For more information about the Energy Envoy scheme, visit swvg.co.uk/energy

South Woodford resident Debbie Pearson is a tour guide for the City of London and the City of Westminster. During lockdown, she took the opportunity to learn more about the local area, including James Hilton House. Photo by Geoff Wilkinson

On Woodford Road, opposite The Drive, stands an impressive three-storey brick building with two fine entrance porches. This Grade II listed structure is called James Hilton House and is named after a famous local author and screenwriter. His most well-known works are Goodbye Mr Chips, the story of a schoolmaster, and Lost Horizon, which is set in a mysterious Himalayan location called Shangri-la.

James Hilton was born in Lancashire in 1900 and educated in Walthamstow and Cambridge. From an early age, he would write stories and poems, and he edited his school magazine. His family moved to Woodford Green in 1920. James wrote his first novel, Catherine Herself, while he was still at university. For 10 years or so, he worked as a journalist and reviewer and wrote a number of novels.

Lost Horizon, published in 1933, coined the term ‘Shangri-la’ for a utopian paradise and won a literary prize. In the USA, it was published as Pocket Book Number 1, the first mass market paperback book. It sold several million copies and was one of the most popular novels of the 20th century.

The next year, his most famous work appeared. He had written Goodbye Mr Chips in just four days, and this novel made his reputation. The lead character is an elderly schoolmaster, and the fact that his own father was employed in this role is perhaps no coincidence. This book was so popular that James became a best-selling author.

James and his first wife, Alice, moved to the USA, where he acquired a New York literary agent and a job in Hollywood. He would eventually become a vice-president of the Screenwriters Guild and one of Hollywood’s highest-paid screenwriters.

Lost Horizon was made into a film in 1937, directed by Frank Capra. There was also a musical version produced in 1973, a TV film, a stage play, a radio play and a Broadway musical.

The first film of Goodbye Mr Chips appeared in 1939, starring Robert Donat and Greer Garson.  Robert Donat won an Oscar for his portrayal of Mr Chips. In 1973, Peter O’Toole was also nominated for an Oscar, although that year the award went to John Wayne.

James Hilton himself also won an Academy Award, as a screenwriter, for the 1942 film Mrs Miniver. This sentimental film, set in World War Two, was very successful as propaganda.  He shared the Oscar with his three fellow screenwriters.

James Hilton made his fame and fortune in Hollywood, but his two most famous books were written in the local area. Both Lost Horizon and Goodbye Mr Chips were written when he lived at 42 Oak Hill Gardens, Woodford Green. There is an English Heritage blue plaque on the house where he lived.

For more information, follow Debbie on Twitter @debbieguide

A group of volunteers from St Mary’s in South Woodford, Christ Church in Wanstead and St Gabriel’s in Aldersbrook will be resuming in-person bereavement cafés this July, following a period of virtual events.

The first session will take place at Christ Church on 20 July from 10.30am to 11.30am, and will continue on the third Tuesday of each month.

In South Woodford, sessions will take place on the first Tuesday of each month at St Mary’s from 2pm to 3pm, starting from 3 August.

Call 020 8505 3000 

Students from Woodbridge High School’s Climate Crisis Committee have been helping to improve the local environment.

“The group worked hard in June to plant some wild flower seeds into tree pits which have been adopted from the council on St Barnabas Road. The committee also did one of their regular litter picks of the school and local area. Students from Years 7 to 10 worked to ensure there will be some beautiful blooms come late summer, which we’re sure the local community will also appreciate,” said a school spokesperson.

A local football team will be raising money for Haven House this summer by hosting a match against Chigwell Football Club on Ashton Playing Fields.

“Woodford Old Boys is a club aimed at the over-35s. Apart from playing football, our aim is to actively engage with the community. This year will be our inaugural season, and our plan is to raise money for the children’s hospice via ticket sales for our first home game against Chigwell on 22 August (kick-off: 2pm; tickets: £5),” said club founder Antaeus Schulz.

Visit swvg.co.uk/oldboys

Redbridge Council will formally launch its Climate Change Action Plan this July. It’s all part of the effort to tackle the climate emergency, says Councillor Jo Blackman, Cabinet Member for Environment and Civic Pride

With the UK hosting a key global climate summit later this year and the recent G7 meeting in Cornwall, there is renewed attention on what we can do to tackle the climate emergency. Much of the responsibility falls on fossil fuel companies and governments who have failed to act, but we should all be doing our bit, and that includes Redbridge Council.

In June, Redbridge Council’s cabinet adopted a three-year action plan, setting out more than 100 actions the council will undertake towards becoming carbon neutral by 2030 and zero carbon by 2050. Emissions directly associated with the council only account for 2.4% of borough-wide emissions, so it is crucial to work with communities, businesses and residents to help reduce all of our emissions. We need everyone in the community to help tackle climate change – it must be a collective shared responsibility.

We are planning regular sessions with environmental groups to explore how we can work together on each of the priorities identified in the three-year action plan. The analysis showed that buildings account for the biggest share of emissions generated by the council, followed by transport, then waste. So, what are we doing at Redbridge?

• We will be launching our Climate Change Action Plan on 14 July.
• We are working to switch to green sources of energy across the council estate, as well as supporting landlords to improve energy efficiency with the Redbridge Go Green grants scheme.
• We are supporting the transition away from diesel and petrol cars with the installation of 18 new electric vehicle charging points across Wanstead and South Woodford.
• We are supporting a School Streets programme in five localities (which has been supported by parents and teachers) to encourage active travel at drop-off and pick-up times.
• We are providing additional cycle storage and electric charging points at our mobility hubs on Wanstead High Street and George Lane, South Woodford, as well as four new bike hangars across Wanstead and South Woodford.
• We are negotiating with the waste authority to expand the range of recyclables we can accept to include plastic pots and trays.

We are making progress but need to go further. For this, we need help from the government to set the right legal framework and provide resources. We’ll be watching how they commit to the climate emergency when discussed at the global summit in November.

A virtual launch of the Redbridge Climate Change Action Plan will take place on 14 July from 6pm. Visit swvg.co.uk/ccplan