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Redbridge Council has agreed to increase the total area of road verges in the borough that are left to grow wild from 10,000 square metres to 20,000 square metres.

It follows a campaign by Wild Wanstead and biodiversity groups who asked for the Grow Zones project to be expanded in Wanstead and beyond.

However, the expansion will not include any new sites in Wanstead, although the verge along The Drive, heading from Snaresbrook to South Woodford, is set to be reinstated, having become an approved site in 2019.

Julie Anderson, headteacher at Churchfields Infants’ School, reflects on the 44-year career of much-loved nursery nurse Jenny Brown, who retired from the school last term

Jenny Brown, a local nursery nurse, known to generations of children as Miss Brown, retired from Churchfields Nursery at the end of the autumn term after a staggering 44 years in the job.

Jenny, from Chingford, first started working in the nursery at Churchfields Infants’ School in the spring of 1976 and has seen six headteachers come and go during her time at the school, not to mention generations of children. Indeed, parents of new children at the nursery often tell staff they too were taught by Miss Brown and have fond memories of their time in nursery with her.

While the covid-19 pandemic may have made it impossible to hold a large-scale retirement party, colleagues from throughout her career have expressed their best wishes and recalled memories of working with Jenny in nursery and her caring attitude towards the children, not to mention her enthusiasm and willingness to try new things.

Staff presented Jenny with a special book detailing lots of memories from staff, children and families – past and present. One former student, Poppy, who is currently studying Natural Sciences at Bath University, said: “I have lots of fond memories of Churchfields Nursery and I know the reason I enjoy my studies so much is because Miss Brown helped to develop my love of learning. Thank you for being my first teacher!”

Another parent wrote: “Thank you so much for being a kind and caring teacher, and for looking after our girls. You really helped shape them into who they are today.”

While Jenny will be sorely missed at the nursery, she is not expecting to be idle. She is the carer for her 95-year-old mother as well as being an active member of North Chingford Methodist Church. She likes walking, gardening, theatre and travelling, and has often volunteered for different projects – including being a Games Maker during the 2012 Olympic Games in London and installing the ceramic poppies for the Tower of London art installation in 2014.

I would like to thank Jenny for her hard work, dedication and support during her time here at Churchfields Infants’ School. Jenny is an experienced, caring and much-valued member of our team and we will miss her very much.

I wish her lots of happiness for her well-deserved retirement. Forty-four years working in education is a huge achievement to be proud of. Keep in touch, Jenny!

For more information on Churchfields Infants’ School and Nursery in South Woodford, visit churchfieldsinfant.com

Pupils from Avon House Preparatory School raised £1,784 for Haven House Children’s Hospice last term.

“Year 6 were challenged to come up with a community enterprise idea to enable them to turn £10 into £150 to donate to charity. Among the projects were personalised bookmarks, cupcake selling, second-hand clothing sales, sponsored dog walking, photo editing, portraits and storytelling. All of the projects were very inventive and well thought through. We are very proud of our entrepreneurial pupils,” said a spokesperson.

The Woodford and District branch of the National Trust is planning to host a virtual meeting in January.

“Let us all welcome this new year with the hope that in 2021 we can all get back to our normal lives and do the things we all have been used to, including running our meetings locally, enjoying our days out together and visiting the great National Trust properties… We hope to run a Zoom meeting in January with an interesting talk, so do get in touch for details,” said a spokesperson for the group.

Call 07774 164 407

The owner of a new art gallery in South Woodford has explained the reason behind its Electric Gallery name.

“Just a minute’s walk away is a row of shops which were the first in east London to be powered by electricity, and it was such a hit they renamed the area Electric Parade. We’ve named our gallery in honour of that!” said Jai Francois.

Located at 12 High Road, the new venue boasts limited edition prints and originals from £100 and features works by Damien Hirst and Banksy.

Visit electricgallery.co.uk

Transport for London is due to carry out repair work on Woodford Bridge Green following damage made in September 2019, when toilet facilities for bus drivers were installed nearby.

“We apologise to local residents for any disruption and are working closely with Redbridge Council to prevent rainwater collecting on the green. We will be levelling out small dips in the ground and planting new grass to resolve the issue,” said a spokesperson for TfL.

The work is set to take place ‘at some point’ in the new year.

A 15-year-old student from Woodford County High School was victorious in Jack Petchey’s “Speak Out” Challenge in December – the largest youth speaking competition in the world, with nearly 20,000 people taking part. Maddeline Balogun spoke about generational differences.

“I’ve noticed a gap, and it’s made of generational differences paved with judgement and filled with 100 different shades of ignorance,” said Maddeline, who won £2,000, plus £3,000 for her school.

Watch Maddeline’s speech at swvg.co.uk/gap

Redbridge Council has approved the creation of two Low Emission Neighbourhoods, covering Wanstead and the Oakdale area of South Woodford.

The initiative will involve measures to reduce vehicle emissions and promote sustainable living, including the implementation of segregated cycle lanes,  lighting upgrades and enhanced green landscaping. Traffic is also set to be banned from travelling past a number of schools at certain times. Consultations will launch in January.

More information and links to consultations will be published here when available.

The Friends of Wanstead Parklands and Heritage of London Trust have announced some good news in relation to the park’s historic boathouse Grotto.

The Trust has offered a grant of £10,000 to restore the iconic building’s landing stage, with work planned to start later this year.

“We are thrilled to have this support from the Heritage of London Trust and also pleased to report the City of London has adopted a Conservation Management Plan to secure the Grotto’s future,” said Richard Arnopp.

Visit swvg.co.uk/fwp

South Woodford’s Community Gardeners have started a new project improving the tree pits along George Lane.

“One of the gardeners counted up to 80 sad-looking tree pits along George Lane, including both sides of South Woodford Station. So we decided to start on South Woodford’s tree pits as our next challenge! Recent weather has been kind to us gardeners, as the soil is soft. So, we are digging and planting, and already it looks more cheerful! Thank you for all your plants and encouragement,” said Judy Noble.

Woodford Town FC’s long-awaited return to the borough has been delayed until the new year after an FA inspection of the new ground at Ashton Playing Fields found a number of issues to be dealt with in order to gain the necessary grading for senior football.

The club is confident the work will be completed by early January, after twice having to reschedule ‘welcome home’ matches.

“Although frustrating, this is normal practice for facilities new to senior football, and will be worth the wait as a new grandstand, clubhouse, changing rooms and improved floodlighting have all been installed as part of a £1.6m project. We have battled against Covid and the weather to complete the work to return home, but I’m sure the fans will say the wait was worth it come the first game!” said club spokesman Neil Day.

Visit swvg.co.uk/wt