Editor

Fiona Grant reflects on how she became involved with the National Garden Scheme and what first inspired her to open her South Woodford garden to the public in aid of charity

I moved into my house on Cowslip Road over 40 years ago, and initially, the back garden was just my kids’ playground. Then, later on, it became my sanctuary; in the garden, I could be calm, creative and nurturing. The beds started to fill up with a hotchpotch of plants; I’ve always liked watching how plants evolve, self-seed and jostle beside one another. There’s always so much to learn.

The garden now contains a large number of plants, including foxgloves, salvias, hollyhocks and verbascum for height, and geums, erigeron, candytuft and heucheras for the front of the border, plus numerous pots on the patio. Last year, my husband built a raised container bed for the front garden and we’ve recently been enjoying spinach, rocket and lettuce from it. I’m trying a hanging basket with tumbling tomatoes for the first time this year, too.

I started to feed the lawn and use our own compost, which has definitely made a difference. The pond is now filled with frogs and goldfish; the dragonflies like flitting over it, too. This spring, we have tried ‘No Mow May’ to encourage wild flowers to grow, thus attracting more insects. I love the lush grass, daisies and buttercups, as do the bees and butterflies. There are also bird feeders, a ‘bug hotel’ and nesting boxes. It’s so important to encourage dwindling wildlife.

What originally motivated me to open the garden for charity dates back to when, tragically, my youngest brother died from cancer in 2015 and our baby grandson in 2020; all money raised by the National Garden Scheme (NGS) goes to various nursing charities and opening my garden seems the ideal way to say thank you.

For many years, I’ve enjoyed visiting some wonderful NGS gardens in London. (I shall never forget waiting nervously for the NGS representative to come to initially assess my garden and wondering if she might scoff at my delusions of grandeur.) However, she was eager to promote suburban gardens and encouraged me to open mine a few summers ago. Most garden owners in the area do not have vast acres and it’s a myth that the NGS is only interested in those types of gardens.

It’s undeniably hard work preparing for an open day, but seeing total strangers, neighbours and friends coming down the alley and enjoying a cup of tea and slice of home-baked cake makes it all worthwhile.

If you are considering opening your own garden, I would recommend visiting as many NGS gardens as you can, chatting to owners for inspiration, then contacting the local NGS rep. It’s an incredibly rewarding experience – and an extremely worthy charity.

Fiona’s garden at 83 Cowslip Road will be open on 17 July from 2pm to 6pm (entry: £5). For more information and a list of local gardens taking part, visit swvg.co.uk/ngs

Woodford Arts Group is seeking inspiration for local venues which could be used as exhibition spaces.

“Since the demise of Packfords Hotel, who gave us great support, we have found ourselves searching for suitable venues. So this is an appeal to anybody who thinks they might be able to help us. Stow Brothers on George Lane have been a great help, and at the moment, we have a small exhibition of our work on show in their office,” said Julia Brett, who founded the group in 2018.

Email juliabrett@me.com

An update on the Greening South Woodford project:

“We’ve been busy planting rosemary and lavender in Bell Green and have pruned and tidied up Eastwood Green, ready for the addition of more plants and some benches. The orchard fruit trees have been popular with the bugs, but we hope they will recover soon! We will be holding a gardening day over the summer, so please let us know if you can help. We would also welcome any plant donations,” said a South Woodford Society spokesperson.

Email e18society@gmail.com

The South Woodford Society is working closely with local councillors to lobby for the return of a Post Office to a suitable site on George Lane and for the installation of a post box nearby.

“Sadly, the arrangement of the temporary Post Office in The Galleria didn’t work out well, and once again, we are devoid of vital services. To see the familiar bright-red icon of the postal service on George Lane and the permanent return of our Post Office will draw people to South Woodford and boost business for our shops,” said a spokesperson.

Haven House Children’s Hospice is inviting residents to sign up for this year’s Sparkle Walk.

“Grab a team of friends and family and help us paint the town pink with a 10km walk through Wanstead, South Woodford and some parts of Epping Forest,” said a spokesperson for the Woodford Green charity. The event – which starts and finishes in Wanstead – will take place on the evening of 2 September. “Every participant will receive a T-shirt and a glass of fizz at the finish line!”

Visit swvg.co.uk/sparkle22

Streets Apart – run by the charity Living Streets – arranges weekly walks for the over-65s. Here, project coordinator Tracey Chitnis explains why she is keen to see the initiative continue to grow over the summer

Streets Apart is a programme aiming to build confidence and enthusiasm for walking in your local neighbourhood, focused on the over-65s living in Redbridge, Havering and Barking and Dagenham who may have seen their lives restricted most by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Despite a strong start in 2019, successive lockdowns prevented our project from really flourishing, and although a handful of groups bonded early on and remained through the past two years, it is only now we really get the chance to reach out to the community and welcome them back to group walking. And a recent upsurge in participants tells us summer 2022 is the time to take part!

The health benefits of walking on a regular basis are outstanding: strengthening muscles, getting fresh air into the lungs and warming all the body’s organs. It’s easy and free, it adds interest to our daily chores and it fosters talking and socialising while raising awareness of the environment and neighbourhood. What’s not to like? Walking is perfectly suited to over-65s who wish to remain active and independent as the effects of age can limit other kinds of intensive exercise.

“I feel better, and it was nice to have someone to talk to. I enjoyed both the walk and walk leader, who has given me new information about where I live,” said one participant.

Our groups are small and local; with a maximum of eight walkers, everyone can get to know each other and can help decide the pace and distance. Our groups help rebuild social links, walking weekly in beautiful parks with space for calm and mental well-being. Each walk ends at a café to allow members to relax and talk further.

Many of our participants become walk leaders and maintain the groups as volunteers, allowing us to develop even more groups and reach more people. In the past two months, three new groups have sprung up and our existing groups are now filling up.

All our leaders are police-checked, trained and risk assess the routes. We support our volunteer leaders with training, regular catch-ups and travel expenses.

So, now the summer is here, the masks can come off and we can be together again, why not come along for a taster walk?

In Redbridge, groups are currently meeting in Fairlop Waters Country Park, Clayhall Park and Valentines Park, with one due to start soon in Wanstead. We also have a group that meets in Parsloes Park in Dagenham and one in St Chad’s Park in Chadwell Heath. We are interested in establishing a group in the Woodford area as well, so do get in touch if this is something you would like to be part of.

For more information about the Streets Apart groups, call 0756 678 9456 or email tracey.chitnis@livingstreets.org.uk

An update from the South Woodford Gardeners:

“We have adopted 13 of the railing planters that the council can no longer maintain, seven on the High Road and six outside the Railway Bell and station. We have also been working on the flower beds outside Regency Court (we’re grateful we can get water from there), and we’re happy the council has increased the frequency of grass cutting on George Lane. We always need more volunteers and love receiving plant donations.”

Email southwoodfordgardeners@gmail.com

Tim Ward designed the decorative pavement and benches on the bridge over the A406 in South Woodford. Here, the Buckhurst Hill-based artist offers some insight into the bridgescape’s recent restoration and his passion for community installations. Photo by Geoff Wilkinson

Residents may have noticed that repairs have recently taken place to renovate the decorative pavement and upgrade the benches on the bridge over the A406 in South Woodford. The work was completed in mid-June, with the area now back to its original state, if not better than when it was installed in 2012.

The South Woodford bridgescape – which was funded by an agreement with developers when planning permission was given for the Queen Mary site – consists of several parts. There are three stainless-steel tree sculptures that spiral up from the flyover bridge (created by artist Lucien Simon) and four heritage benches, with accompanying art paving, created by myself. The theme was to connect with Epping Forest and celebrate notable people of the area. Three of the benches are dedicated to Woodford’s famed association with historical giants Winston Churchill, William Morris and Sylvia Pankhurst, who, despite political differences, each shared a passion for art and craft and were artists of their time. The fourth bench shows images of the local area, taken by Woodford and Wanstead Photographic Society members.

I also worked with heritage groups and local people to source imagery for the accompanying circular bench celebrating Woodford’s history, located outside South Woodford Library and Gym.

The bridgescape’s central wave path in the decorative pavement – representing the River Roding – had deteriorated somewhat, with sections of the slate tiles delaminating due to ingress of water and frost (several vans were also parked on the site last year during work on the traffic lights, which exacerbated the problems).

The wave path has now been fully relaid using flexible waterproof cement adhesives and grouts, which allows for any movement in the bridge structure. I am grateful to members of the South Woodford Gardeners, who rescued a number of loose tiles that were able to be cleaned and reused alongside the cutting of new ones. The surrounding paving slabs have been pointed to prevent water penetration and the benches have also been repaired and cleaned.

The work was carried out by landscaper Simon Martin and tiler Dino Kyriacou on behalf of my public arts and landscape design practice Circling the Square, following a commission by Redbridge Council to carry out this much-needed renovation work. Again, my thanks to the local residents who brought their concerns over the bridgescape’s state to the council’s attention.

Since graduating from Goldsmiths College in 1980, I have worked extensively in creating public art and environmental projects, working with steel, glass, stone, photographic plates and lighting. Some of my other projects include Interconnecting Arches in Horsham (which represents the heritage of rural trades), the Jon Egging memorial in Bournemouth (to commemorate the Red Arrow pilot who died during an air display) and Rowhedge Wharf Watchtower in Colchester.

I am proud to be an elected member of The Art Workers’ Guild since 1992 and I am committed to working collaboratively in delivering projects, aiming to create installations of real value which are supported by local communities and which imbue a shared sense of ownership and pride. I hope the South Woodford bridgescape will continue to fulfil this aim for many years to come.

For more information on Tim’s work, visit circlingthesquare.com

Beverley Brewer, Joe Hehir and Saiqa Qayum Hussain were all elected as Labour councillors for South Woodford in May. Here are their ambitions for the ward over the next four years

Firstly, we would like to thank everyone who participated in the council elections this year. It was good to see that, once again, South Woodford had one of the best turnouts in the borough. We are very grateful to those of you who lent us your vote this time.

Until eight years ago, Labour had never held a majority on Redbridge Council. This year’s elections have seen South Woodford elect three Labour councillors for the first time ever, and the council is now made up of 58 Labour councillors and five Conservatives.

We believe that the best days for South Woodford are ahead of us. Despite dreadful central government cuts, Brexit and Covid, our communities continue to thrive. As your local councillors, we will do all we can to support the success of our area.

During the election period, we spoke to literally thousands of local people, and there were some very clear themes that we will be taking up as your new councillor team.

Pollution and rat running
It is unacceptable that school children in South Woodford experience some of the worst air quality in the country. South Woodford is so much more than somewhere people drive through. We will pick up where last year’s low traffic neighbourhood consultation left off and do all we can to build a local consensus for a scheme that will improve traffic management, make our streets safer and our lungs cleaner.

Crime and antisocial behaviour
We will work with the local Safer Neighbourhoods Team and lobby for more policing resources in South Woodford. A new enforcement hub on the Orchard Estate will be an important step in the right direction, but more must be done to combat crime and antisocial behaviour in our area.

Neighbourhood planning
South Woodford was the first area in the borough to be given Neighbourhood Forum status, and that is important. It gives our community the chance to develop a Neighbourhood Plan that meets our local needs. We will be working with the South Woodford Society to take this forward and we encourage everyone to become involved in co-producing the plan.

Above all, we are here to listen and be South Woodford’s voice in the Town Hall.

We are currently reviewing how best to balance surgery and other communication arrangements. We will make an announcement soon; in the meantime, you can contact us at any time by email.

For local councillor contact details, visit swvg.co.uk/councillors

Rosa Gomez, Lloyd Duddridge and Guy Williams were all elected as Labour councillors for Churchfields in May. Here are their ambitions for the ward over the next four years

First and foremost, we would like to thank everybody who entrusted us with their vote. Churchfields had the highest turnout in the whole of London (46%) because residents want to see local issues being addressed.

We are honoured to serve as your councillors, however you voted, and we will make the case for Woodford at the top table on Redbridge Council. We will focus on the issues you have asked us to prioritise.

We have spoken to thousands of residents over several years. Rosa has held fortnightly surgeries since her election in 2018, and Lloyd and Guy are long-standing campaigners in Woodford and across the borough. Issues like policing, housing, traffic and our local environment come up time and again.

Redbridge’s Labour-led council is bringing an enforcement hub to Churchfields, which is great news! We will push for the highest possible police presence there, as visible uniforms are the best deterrent. We also want to see the Orchard Estate benefit from an on-site housing officer to address residents’ issues quickly and effectively.

There are road issues across the ward and local views need to be central to addressing them. Traffic management in the Church End Triangle needs to be overhauled in consultation with residents, with resurfacing there and on the High Road urgently required. On Maybank Road, visibility at the A406 junction must be improved and speed restrictions enforced. Road markings outside Churchfields Junior School are being modified to improve safety with camera enforcement planned too. The nearby cameras on Cavendish Avenue and Fairlawn Drive are only supposed to deter through traffic, not to penalise residents, so we will seek an exemption for addresses in the immediate area.

We will prioritise environmental issues, including planning, air quality, children’s play areas and parks. We will champion our beautiful green spaces, upgrade air quality monitoring and find a long-term resolution for Elmhurst Gardens. People from across Woodford use the community sports ground at Ashtons, with many young residents involved in youth football, athletics or hockey. We brought Woodford Town FC back home, and we will push for a long lease for the club to secure the financial future of Ashtons.

Thank you again for putting your faith in us. We will be regularly knocking on doors across the ward, so you will see us back on your doorstep soon. We also have surgeries on the first Saturday and third Tuesday of the month (11am to 12 noon) at Woodford Green Library, so do drop in if you need help with anything.

For local councillor contact details, visit swvg.co.uk/councillors

Improvements are set to be made to The Galleria, South Woodford’s mini shopping mall.

“Following damage to shop fronts caused by break-ins targeting the former Post Office, The Galleria is set for a revitalisation. The Post Office has vacated and, following repairs, new tenants are moving in. An enhanced security system has been installed, and problems with rubbish collections have been addressed. Enquiries are also being made into the possibility of improved access from the rear of the mall,” said site owner Madeleine McCarthy.

Swan Sanctuary volunteer Louisa Green reports on a busy few weeks of swan rescues in Snaresbrook and Wanstead, and welcomes any donations to the swan ambulance fuel fund. Photo of Eagle Pond by Geoff Wilkinson

It’s been an eventful few weeks for local waterfowl, and as Swan Sanctuary volunteers, that means it’s been a busy time for us. We are on call 365 days a year to keep our swans and water birds safe.

Over on Eagle Pond, off Snaresbrook Road, a new dynamic is in place this year; a flock has taken over one half of the pond, with the long-term resident family retaining control of the island. This unusual set-up hasn’t been without drama.

Cygnets of the resident pair made their arrival on 16 May, and on 17 May the new parents took their babies to the water for the first time. The presence of the flock didn’t make this an easy task, and in the panic, the parents struggled to guide their new brood back onto the island later in the day, with one cygnet sadly succumbing to exhaustion. Fellow swan rescuers Gill and Ulf managed to quickly assemble a small ramp and install it on the island. The little ones soon got the hang of it, and were very grateful for the chance to dry off after a full day of swimming! The remaining five cygnets are all thriving.

The presence of such a large flock on Eagle Pond is a significant hazard, given its proximity to a busy main road, and on Sunday 5 June, a low-flying swan was hit by a W12 bus. The driver failed to stop and the incident has been reported to TfL. The swan was taken to The Swan Sanctuary in Shepperton, where she made a full recovery and has since been returned home. Many locals are now calling for the installation of signs and speed bumps along Snaresbrook Road to slow down the traffic.

In Wanstead Park, there have been a series of highs and lows in equal measure. May saw the arrival of five cygnets on the Ornamental Water, making it a significantly more successful brood for the pair than last year. Four cygnets remain and are doing well. Soon afterwards, five cygnets hatched on the Shoulder of Mutton Pond, although one was badly attacked by a swooping gull very early on and sadly died. Four cygnets remain and all is well.

The long-standing Perch Pond pair have had a very difficult few weeks. At the start of the season, two new pairs arrived in the park, which have taken up residence at the Grotto end of Perch Pond and Heronry Pond, leaving the original Perch pair sandwiched in the middle. This pair have sadly had a failed nest; none of their eggs have hatched this year. Furthermore, during the week of 6 June, both Mr and Mrs Perch were badly beaten by Mr Heronry and Mr New Perch, respectively, and so were rescued by Gill and Ulf and are now recovering in The Swan Sanctuary.

Lastly, I’d like to say a huge thank you to mother-daughter-duo Helen and Katie O’Rourke of Wanstead, who ran the London Vitality 10k in May, raising nearly £2,300 for the swan ambulance fuel fund. Being volunteers, and with the cost of diesel rising almost daily, this sum was very gratefully received. Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far.

To donate to the swan ambulance fuel fund, visit swvg.co.uk/swanambulance

To report an injured swan to The Swan Sanctuary, call 01932 240 790