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Residents are being asked for their views on plans to reinstate the powers of a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) for the west of the borough, which includes Bridge, Monkhams, Churchfields, South Woodford, Wanstead Village and Wanstead Park wards.

The previous PSPO – which expired in October 2018 – prevented street drinking, and it has been proposed to update this order to crack down on other issues, including aggressive begging, public urination, loitering and spitting. The PSPO will enable police and council officers to issue a fixed penalty notice to the sum of £100 to those failing to comply with the order. If agreed, the changes will come into effect this summer for three years (unless revoked sooner by the council).

The consultation closes on 31 May. Visit swvg.co/pspo

Local resident Michelle Vanlint is aiming to raise close to £10k for Haven House Children’s Hospice at her annual tea and cake party in the garden of her South Woodford home this summer. “The event gets bigger each year and I need the support and help of the community in order to make this year’s event bigger and better than the last,” said Michelle, who raised over £8k in 2018. The event – which will take place at 12 Derby road on 14 June from 11am to 6pm – will be the 14th party Michelle has hosted in aid of the Woodford Green charity. “Please get in touch if you can help with raffle prizes or baking. Help on the day before or on the day will be greatly appreciated. And if any business would like to sponsor the Pimms tent, I would love to hear from them.” Michelle’s fundraising efforts have been growing in recent years, with the party generating £5k in 2017, £4k in 2016 and just under £3k in 2015. “It’s such a big event now I need more hands to help!” Email msvanlint@yahoo.co.uk

A number of changes are to be made to children’s centres across Redbridge. The recommendations follow a public consultation with users, staff and other stakeholders, and an ongoing need to reduce spending to plug a £650k gap in council finances. The council will now offer free access to all services at the centres for every family for the first sixth months after a child’s birth, after which a fee of £2 per family per session will apply. And while the council proposes to keep all eight main ‘hub’ centres open, four of the borough’s 13 ‘satellite’ centres with the lowest levels of resident use will close in September, including the Oakdale Road centre in South Woodford, which is only used for two hours per week. This proposal is expected to deliver a £40k saving over a year. Visit swvg.co/ccreport

South Woodford became the 78th Underground station to be fully step-free following the completion of TfL works in March. Having previously only offered step-free access for customers using the eastbound entrance – for services to Epping – the installation of a new ramp at the westbound entrance now also provides a step-free pathway for customers travelling into central London. “I’m delighted this station has become step-free because it is used by so many of our residents to travel across the borough and into central London. Step-free access will hugely benefit many of our residents with mobility issues, luggage or buggies,” said Leader of Redbridge Council, Councillor Jas Athwal. South Woodford station sees almost 5.3m customer journeys each year.

A Year 4 pupil from Churchfields Junior School has raised over £1,400 for Children with Cancer UK by cutting off 30cm of her hair. Woodford resident Hanna Burska then donated her locks to the Little Princess Trust, who create real-hair wigs for children who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment. “If you know Hanna, you know how much she loves her long hair and cutting off 30cm was a big challenge! She was overwhelmed with all the support,” said Hanna’s mum. Visit swvg.co/hanna

Members of the East London and Essex Liberal Synagogue (ELELS) in South Woodford presented a cheque for £1,486.66 to the charity Tzedek UK in April. It follows last year’s decision by worshippers at the Marlborough Road venue to select Tzedek for their Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) appeal. Tzedek works with the UK Jewish community to help reduce poverty in overseas communities by developing partnerships and connecting with future leaders. “Tzedek was delighted to be chosen as the recipient of [the] appeal. It is truly inspiring that communities like ELELS can dig deep and realise the obligation we have to support those living in extreme poverty. Thank you so much for the big cheque!” said Judith Stanton, chief executive of the charity, which took 3,577 people out of poverty in 2017.

The West Essex Archaeological Group will host a presentation by TV presenter Gustav Milne on 13 May (7.45pm; free), looking at the siting and development of the ancient port of London. The talk will examine a wide range of records, including the geological and physical features of the area together with social, political and trading changes. Gustav – who is a presenter on the Channel 4 series Britain at Low Tide – has been a lecturer at UCL since 1991. The event – known as the Rudge Lecture – will take place at Woodford County High School. “The Rudge Lecture is free to all, and members of the public are warmly invited to come along to enjoy the talk. It is presented annually in honour of our first secretary and generous benefactor Dr Earnest Rudge,” said a group spokesperson. Visit weag.org.uk

The issues that link women, health, equality and the environment will be explored at an East London Soroptimists’ event in South Woodford on 18 June. “What’s being a woman got to do with the environment?  And what can women do about climate change? The answer is a lot!” said a spokesperson for the group, which is part of Soroptimist International, the world’s largest women’s organisation. The presentation at the Woodford Memorial Hall (7.15pm; free; booking required) will be led by Kate Metcalf, co-director of the Women’s Environmental Network, which was founded in 1988 to offer a different way of thinking about and acting on environmental issues, using the perspectives and voices of women. “Come along and join the conversation!” Visit swvg.co/womenenviron

Redbridge Council is in the running to become Local Authority of the Year 2019, having been shortlisted for the title in the Municipal Journal (MJ) Achievement Awards. “The MJ Awards is a chance to recognise the extraordinary work of local councils across the country,” said MJ editor Heather Jameson. The awards – which have run since 2004 – are judged by ‘influential people from both the private and public sector’, with the winner to be announced at an awards ceremony in June.

The Mayor of London and Redbridge Council have provided Oakdale Junior School with a £10K grant for the installation of air purifiers in classrooms to help protect against exposure to pollution. It follows an assessment by independent experts, who spent three months at 50 schools across the capital studying indoor and outdoor pollution sources before making a series of recommendations to protect pupils. Cash from Sadiq Khan’s clean air fund is being matched by the council.

Plans to expand the South Woodford Muslim Community Centre on Mulberry Way were approved by Redbridge Council in April. “We will now be undertaking the detailed design of the building, in which we will work more on the facade and materials… There is currently no start date, but I expect it will be within the next year, and I expect the time frame to be around 12 to 18 months,” said Shahed Saleem of Makespace Architects. Following demolition of the existing single storey building, a three-storey structure with a basement will be erected, with the community centre and place of worship occupying the ground floor and basement and four flats on the upper floors. The larger building will retain the current maximum occupancy of 250 members at any given time as part of the planning conditions.

The newly formed Woodford Arts Group will hold its inaugural exhibition at Packfords Hotel in Woodford Green from 31 May to 2 June. The Snakes Lane West venue – which has been run by the Packford family for over 40 years – will be serving afternoon tea on 1 June. “The group was set up in December 2018 to bring local artists together in order to support each other and find ways to show their work. The initial call out has been a great success, and our members range across all the arts,” said founding member Julia Brett. The group includes painters, printers, photographers, ceramicists and sculptors, with the upcoming exhibition set to be the first of many displays and activities in the local area. “Our aims are principally to display our work through gallery exhibitions and art trails, creating an awareness of Woodford art to as wide an audience as possible. All Woodford-based artists are welcome to contact us if they are interested in joining us on our journey.” Visit woodfordartsgroup.org