Editor

Local author Eithne Cullen has published a collection of short stories.

“Over the years, I’ve had some success with my short stories. Some have won or been commended in competitions, others have been published in anthologies. I decided to find a home for them and came up with this collection. There are a variety of stories: a couple are a modern reworking of fairy tales, one was inspired by my favourite Jane Austen book Persuasion, one is set in the beautiful Harpa Concert Hall in Iceland and others were inspired by stories I’d heard, which invited themselves to be written,” said Eithne.

Pencils and other Stories (paperback: £2.99) is the South Woodford resident’s third book to be published, having released The Ogress of Reading and Never not in my Thoughts in 2018.

Visit swvg.co.uk/pencils

As Woodford County High School For Girls marks its centenary, Deputy Headteacher Colin Jenkins reflects on 100 years of history and traditions, which have been encapsulated in a new book by the Chairman of the Old Girls’ Association

Woodford County High School has changed a great deal over the years. On 29 September 1919, it opened its doors for the first time. On that day, the seven teachers in the school welcomed their new intake of 110 girls. Now, 100 years on, the school is 10 times bigger, but many of the values and traditions that inspired the founders live on today.

The founders of the school had a clear vision: to educate girls to the highest standards possible and to equip them to be self-confident, socially responsible adults, ready to make their mark on the world. This vision has remained consistent, as has the strong sense of mutual support and community spirit that permeates everything the school does.

The school was opened in the old Highams manor house, built in 1786. Although this still lies at its centre, it was obvious from the start that the old building needed extending. In the inter-war years two wings were added, which included the building of new science laboratories and a school hall and swimming pool (sadly, now closed). After that, there was little structural change until the sixth form block was built in 1974, followed 30 years later by the new sports hall and, most recently, a multi-million pound science and mathematics block.

The population of the school has changed a great deal too, reflecting the social and demographic changes that have occurred in the area in the past century. The school now has 180 girls in each year group from a culturally diverse mix that is reflective of modern London.  The diversity is something we celebrate and is a source of strength. What binds us together, though, is the fact that all our pupils very much feel themselves to be Woodford Girls.

The school has witnessed a great deal in the last 100 years and has not been immune to the passing of history. It was founded in 1919 to accommodate the growing population of the area, and its early success was in no small part due to the work of local MP Henry Cutforth and its first headmistress, Miss Gordon. Creating a new school from a building that had been used as an army hospital until the end of 1918 was no easy task, and when it opened it had virtually no furniture or stationery! These early teething problems were soon overcome, and the school went on to thrive, building an enviable academic reputation.

With the Second World War came evacuation and relocation to Bedford, but by the middle of 1941 the girls were back and remained on the school site for the duration, occasional air raids notwithstanding. School life continued much as normal, but with comprehensive education introduced across the country from the 1960s onwards, the London Borough of Redbridge had to make a decision. They chose Woodford County as one of two schools that would continue to be selective – it therefore remains a grammar school to this day, along with its ‘brother’ school, Ilford County High School.

The school has also seen its fair share of illustrious visitors, particularly in the political sphere. Winston Churchill was the local MP and he visited the school several times, most notably in the year of his 80th birthday, when he and his wife were presented with a portrait of Clementine Churchill. And more recently, another former prime minister, David Cameron, paid us a visit and had to field some tough questions about the Brexit referendum!

As you would expect from a school this old, it has built up some quirky traditions over time. Some are older than others, but the 5p Race and House Drama are great Woodford institutions, as are the singing of the school songs. The 29th of September remains a special day, though, and every year since it was founded, there has been a parade of the banners followed by the birthday service in the main hall – which is followed by the cutting of the school cake. Woodford loves its cake!

Woodford County High School has commenced its 101st year in good shape and faces the future with optimism and confidence that its pupils will continue to achieve great things and keep the Woodford spirit alive.

Local resident Charlotte Monro explains why campaigning must continue for the redevelopment of Whipps Cross Hospital, despite government funding confirmation

At a public meeting on 15 October, Barts Health Trust presented their current proposals for the new hospital and the other developments on the Whipps Cross site. There was intense interest from the 200 people attending, with pertinent and searching questions asked, and discussions continued as the meeting was breaking up.

Whipps is one of the six hospital developments the government has announced will benefit from a share of a £2.7bn funding allocation. A letter has been received from the Secretary of State for Health confirming government support for a ‘brand new hospital’. “We don’t know how much yet,” said Alastair Finney, Director for Whipps Cross Redevelopment, but the total divided by six gives £450m. Not nearly sufficient for a new-build hospital, he added, so the campaign needs to continue (please sign our petition!). At the meeting, we heard the reworked proposals for the strategic outline case:

• A hospital of similar total size as the current one but compacted to a smaller footprint (about a fifth), between eight and 12 storeys high, with A&E, maternity and core services.
• Fewer beds, apart from more in critical care and maternity, and more space for day surgery, including for children. The rationale for this, despite a growing population, is based on hospital and primary care clinician working groups’ vision of models of care.
• Becoming a specialist centre for the treatment of frail older people, including residents from Newham and Tower Hamlets.
• Some community or social care facilities next to the hospital.
• Much of the site to be disposed of for housing and community amenities, with up to 1,700 new homes envisaged.
• No commitment to sustainable building and energy design was evident.

“I fear you may be overestimating how much your plans will reduce the need for hospital beds,” said the final questioner to applause. No evidence has been presented as to how far their proposed model of care closer to home can or will reduce the need for hospital admissions, or the resources needed for this. Without additional beds, the future in reality will be a cut, and a new hospital under as much pressure as now, or more.

This is our hospital. Our say in it has to be real. This will only happen by our action. The next two months will be critical as the revised outline business case will be resubmitted at the end of the year, which includes the total capital needed. The new hospital must be based on need, not the funding on offer.

Let’s make it happen.

A packed hall gave London City Airport representatives a tough time over their expansion proposals at a public meeting in Wanstead earlier this month.

“London City is proposing to almost double flight numbers from their current level, end the 24-hour weekend break and operate more planes in the early morning and late evening… Parts of Wanstead and South Woodford are directly under these flight paths,” said John Stewart of campaign group HACAN East.

The proposals are part of City’s Master Plan, which sets out its vision for the airport until 2035. Tim Halley, Director of Planning, argued the airport believed the demand would be there to justify its expansion proposals, but stressed the airport would take account of consultation responses before coming out with any final plans.

The South Woodford Society held an autumn litter pick earlier this month.

“Over 20 litter pickers braved the rather inclement weather for a morning of clearing away litter with pickers, hoops and gloves all provided by Redbridge Council and the charity CleanupUK. Along with some junior litter pickers and two canine helpers, we managed to collect the usual selection of cans, plastic bottles and crisp packets,” said a spokesperson.

“The South Woodford Society has decided to take action with the issue of plastic pollution, so please always take your litter home and use refillable water bottles! If you’re not already a member and would like to come along on our next litter pick, or if you have any ideas for a creating a plastic-free South Woodford, please contact us.”

Email e18society@gmail.com

The South Woodford Society will be hosting another community litter pick this weekend.

Participants should meet at the front of South Woodford Library at 10am on 13 October.

Equipment will be supplied, but those who can bring their own gloves are encouraged to do so.

“Please come for some exercise, chat and a cleaner South Woodford! Remember, any length of time you can give can help enormously,” said a spokesperson.

To confirm attendance, email e18society@gmail.com

Wanstead Village ward councillors Jo Blackman, Daniel Morgan-Thomas and Paul Donovan discuss crime and the work they do to keep crime rates low, and urge residents to engage with local police.

Rates of reported crime are relatively low in Wanstead Village. Social media can exaggerate the risk of crime as we can hear more quickly about incidents that we wouldn’t otherwise be aware of.

But every crime committed is one too many, and as Wanstead Village councillors, we are doing all we can to make our ward even safer.

Central government cuts have had a drastic impact on policing levels as well as the level of support provided to vulnerable people and young people.

We have campaigned for more resources for our local police and were pleased to hear that there is now a full team of two police officers (PC Paul Spencer and PC Hannah Vincent) and one community support officer (PCSO Shyam Aubeelack) after a period of reduced capacity.

One area where the council can help is with CCTV and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras. We were pleased to hear that CCTV and ANPR cameras recently installed by the council following requests from us and the police have proved an effective deterrent locally, and we have identified other cameras in need of an upgrade in our ward.

We meet regularly with the local police and can raise concerns where residents contact us with specific points about problem areas. We also regularly attend Neighbourhood Watch meetings to follow up local issues.

We encourage all members of the public to ensure all crimes are reported, otherwise it is impossible for us or the police to follow up.

Even if the police are unable to respond immediately, reports help them identify patterns of behaviour, target patrols to certain areas and build up their intelligence.

The local police hold regular drop-in sessions, which are an opportunity to raise any local concerns. These are detailed on the Wanstead Village Directory event listings pages.

Residents are also welcome to attend our advice service, which takes place at 10am on the second and fourth Saturday of every month at the vestry, Christ Church.

Working together, the community, council and police can help tackle crime in Wanstead Village. And we will continue to do what we can to tackle crime in our area.

Tim Armitage – who didn’t go to art school – finds inspiration for his paintings in the natural world. He is one of many local creatives to join the recently founded Woodford Arts Group

I grew up by the sea, so my childhood revolved a great deal around the beach, fishing off the pier, swimming and surfing, and I suppose that’s informed what I mostly find myself painting – marine life.

These days, I work outdoors as a Forest School Leader, and this has started to inform my art with more work involving trees and plants, but I would say that in all ways my work is concerned with the natural world rather than the man-made one. I work in acrylics but would one day like to attempt to master the skill of oils – I reckon I’m a way off that yet!

I didn’t go to art school as it wasn’t seen as a viable option when I was growing up, and maybe I’ve always regretted not pushing it more. But what’s done is done and I’ll just have to be content with my A level.

I like illustrations from books, tattoo designs and the work of people like William Morris, and I try to inject some of this decorative stuff into the things I paint.

I’ve lived in London for 24 years, with 11 of those in South Woodford. I’ve always liked the East End, with its street art and creativity, and was amazed to find so many links to music, film and art when I bought a place here. I think it’s a great, arty place with lots of different things going on in an urban landscape, but with green space as well – the best of both worlds in a city.

I’m always trying to get better but happily accept that quite often a mistake is what makes a piece of art work, so I try to go with any problems I encounter as, on the whole, I end up with a more interesting piece.

I’d obviously love to sell at least some of the work I do but at the same time I try to paint what I enjoy – and hopefully someone else out there might like it too.

Recently, I’ve joined both Art Group Wanstead and the Woodford Arts Group and it’s great to see work from and talk to other local artists. One of the great things about living in London is the huge amount of galleries and street art on our doorstep. The street art, in particular, is a favourite of mine and to see oversized pieces of artwork as we travel round the city always brings inspiration for my own work.

If the weather’s not so great, places like Instagram and Pinterest are also great places to experience new and interesting ideas to try out in my paintings. As I’ve previously mentioned, I really enjoy the work of tattoo artists and also contemporary jewellery designers.

Our area has strong creative links in all areas, be it film, music, literature or art and amateur artists can draw inspiration from this.

As the children head back to school, Katie Biggs – a local homeopath with a 15-year conventional medical background – explains how alternative medicine can help anxious pupils

The most recent surveys of child and adolescent mental health have shown that in an average school classroom of 30 youngsters, three will have a mental health condition.

Over the last decade there has been an increase in testing pupils due to governmental shifts in educational attainment targets. Social media has also become a part of many teenagers’ lives. Both these factors add stresses and anxieties, and the pressures on our young ones are ever increasing. It’s an unfortunate truth that the school environment can present triggers for many such difficulties.

We know that long waiting times and unequal access to young people’s mental health services are putting lives at risk, and emergency services are handling more mental health cases all the time. So, what is available out there that does not involve potential side effects or dependency forming reliance on prescription drugs?

Homeopathy is the use of highly diluted remedies from plant, animal and mineral sources to gently stimulate our natural healing responses. For example, aconite is a highly poisonous plant, and if consumed in its raw, toxic state causes sweating, a feeling of imminent death or doom, nausea, palpitations and difficulty breathing. These symptoms will be easily recognised by those who have experienced a panic attack. Homeopathy takes the aconite and through crushing and succussion (shaking vigorously), sometimes up to a hundred times, it no longer poses a threat, but now holds a natural stimulating quality, which when taken at the onset of a panic attack, switches on the body’s natural responses and decreases anxiety.

The leaps made in a child’s cognitive and growth rates can produce irritation and stress on the body’s nervous system. Homeopathy can alleviate this in a gentle way, allowing the body the time it needs to adapt to the changes. Homeopathy also takes great care to examine the person holistically and pick away at their qualities, character, history and any iatrogenic influence (caused by conventional medicines).

At this time, as a society, we have, through research and reflection, recognised that we have a huge problem with mental health decline, especially among our children and teens. Unfortunately, the government has yet failed to produce a robust sustainable model of assistance and is failing our youngsters.

Complementary and alternative medicines and approaches, such as homeopathy, mindfulness, cognitive behavioural therapy and acupuncture, are a real option for parents before treading the path to the use of conventional antidepressants.

As Woodford Town FC prepare to return to the local area, assistant manager Neil Day explains the club’s strong community ethos and introduces a team that counts football legend Jimmy Greaves among its former players

Woodford Town FC are set to make an emotional return to the local area after a 26-year hiatus. Council planning for a revamped stadium on Ashton Playing Fields is pending, with the Woods looking to move into their new home sometime during the 2019/20 season.

The news has delighted and rejuvenated fans of the original club – founded in 1937 – which attracted a club record crowd of over 2,000 to their former Snakes Lane ground for an FA Cup first round tie with Leyton Orient in the 1985/86 season.

The club has been revived in recent years under chairman Tony Scott and a determined group of local businessmen, including current manager Dee Safer. Whilst our current crowds playing at our temporary Harlow Arena ground are a little more modest than our 1985 heyday, we are a club that embraces our history and local community despite the obstacles.

A supporters’ focus group has helped design and produce a ‘third kit’, inspired by former local resident Sylvia Pankhurst and her involvement in the suffragette movement.

While Woodford has a proud history, the current crop of young players are making waves in the Essex Senior League with a style of entertaining football that has seen attendances grow rapidly. Our raucous supporters are the envy of teams much higher up the football pyramid. Woodford’s faith in youth has also seen players move up the football ladder after spells with the club. Last year, midfielder Riley Scott secured a move to Ipswich, while Jayden Thompson-Brissett signed with Brentford after a string of impressive performances for Dee Safer’s side.

Whilst this season has seen skipper Jack Grosvenor depart on a well-publicised and lucrative move to local rivals Walthamstow FC, we are pleased that the core of last year’s side have decided to stay with us. This includes ex-Brescia Calcio playmaker and captain Andrea Mantovani, and ex-Colchester United youth player Ellis Routledge, who turned down a big-money move to the States to stay with the club.

We are keen to set up a ladies’ team, as well as several youth teams, as we look to firmly establish ourselves in the local community. The ladies’ team would wear the fan-designed ‘Deeds Not Words’ kit in a tribute to local heroine Sylvia Pankhurst, a positive gesture to a resident who made such an impact on social reform with her contribution to the suffragette movement.

While support for Woodford has steadily grown over the last three seasons, there is still plenty more to do. Our thriving WhatsApp focus group is growing daily as people see Woodford as the perfect antidote to the corporate and sanitised football served up higher up the leagues. Supporting Woodford is very much an experience that connects players and fans; the singing is literally non-stop, win or lose, and recently, a young fan was given a dream chance to come off the bench and play, even at the expense of the team claiming a prominent pre-season scalp.

Lloyd Duddridge, a local resident, fan and committee member who has played a major part in getting the club back where he believes we belong, said: “The club’s imminent return has clearly energised a lot of people with an interest in seeing senior football return to the local area… Long term, it should really energise the local community as a whole, as they will have a grade A sporting facility and an inclusive, community-based club they can support with pride.”

The future looks very bright for the club and we are looking for committee members and match day volunteers when we’re back in the local area. Or if you just simply fancy a loud sing-song in a diverse, inclusive environment, Woodford could well be the club of choice for you.

Kate Panayi started her working life as an actress. Here, the South Woodford resident and Monkey Music franchisee explains how her career path changed after becoming a parent

Soon after moving to South Woodford in 2007, my husband and I became parents to two boys, Daniel and Jack (who are now much older than I remember – 10 and eight respectively!), and I started rethinking my plans regarding work.

I came across Monkey Music, which seemed to encompass everything I love about the arts. I loved all the beautiful songs and instruments it exposes children to – and I was so impressed that the curriculum has been tailored to start with gentle sounds for babies of only three months and then cleverly develops alongside little ones through their preschool years, finishing with teaching four-year-olds about the orchestra. And the fact it wraps it up in a bundle of such fun was the cherry on top! My eldest son attended classes, but by the time my youngest son came along, it had stopped running in South Woodford.

Before I knew what was happening, I was interviewing to buy the local franchise, and the rest, as they say, is history!

I launched classes in September 2013, the same week my older son started Reception and when my youngest had just turned two. Suffice to say, the first year was the toughest thing I have ever done! Learning the hundreds of songs in the curricula (Monkey Music write their own, original content), as well as being responsible for the business side of things was incredibly challenging – especially as I had no previous business experience. However, things went well and after finishing my first year, I took on another teacher and started to expand.

Classes now run every morning of the week, including two lots of classes on Mondays and Thursdays, so seven weekly morning sessions in total. And there are now three of us in the teaching team – myself, Jo and Carla, which is lovely and we are a really close and supportive team. I am also very proud of the fact that we have nearly 300 wonderful customers who attend our classes each week.

I absolutely love my job – it is such a joy to be able to sing for two hours a day, which is incredibly uplifting in itself. But more than that, the happiness which is written all over little ones’ faces during class, witnessing their progression throughout the terms and years they spend with us, seeing their delight as they hear or play an instrument, watching their bond with their carer – all of those things are so special and it is a privilege to be part of their lives in this way. Not to mention the fact children are so wonderfully entertaining and charming – they make me chuckle every single day – what more can you ask for from your job than that?