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Volunteers are needed to take part in a World War Two community theatre project.

“The Hope and Glory project aims to explore what life was like in Redbridge during the Second World War through performance and research techniques. We are also looking for anyone who might have any family stories or memories of what life was like in Redbridge during the war,” said project leader Alfie James.

Participants will work towards creating a show to be performed at South Woodford’s Redbridge Drama Centre in April. “This will be a fun and enjoyable project, which will bring local history to life on stage… No previous acting experience is required.”

The project – which is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Redbridge Museum and Heritage Centre – will launch in January.

Call 07858 625 622

A meeting of the Woodford Festival Association (WFA) will take place this January to decide how to take the community event forward.

It follows an appeal in the previous issue of the South Woodford Village Gazette for volunteers to come forward and help organise the next festival, which may not go ahead in October as planned if the WFA decide the workload is too great for the current committee.

“The call for volunteers brought us two people who have expressed an interest in joining the committee, but in both cases will not be able to take a leading role. We will meet in early January to make a final decision as to whether to take the Woodford Festival forward in 2020. More volunteers are welcome in the meantime,” said WFA chairman Geoff Seeff.

Email geoffseeff@cix.co.uk

Redbridge Council is rolling out cycle hangars across the borough.

“The response from residents so far has been very positive, with the vast majority looking forward to having somewhere safe to put their bikes. In neighbouring boroughs, hangars have proved popular and helped foster a cycling culture – hopefully, the same will happen here,” said Councillor Paul Donovan.

“If you are interested in having a hangar close to you, please get in touch.”

Email jack.redman@redbridge.gov.uk

The South Woodford Society is urging as many people as possible to take part in Redbridge Council’s consultation on the group’s Neighbourhood Plan Area and Forum application.

“The boundary area for the plan has been based on the E18 postcode, with a slight overlap into parts of Wanstead, Snaresbrook and Woodford. It also includes the Tesco site next to Charlie Brown’s Roundabout, which has been included for the simple reason that the sheer size of that site, should it ever be developed into residential, would have a significant impact on resources in South Woodford,” said Pearl Arbenser-Simmonds.

The consultation – which is open until 6 January – asks residents if they think the proposed boundary is consistent with the South Woodford area. A decision on whether the area will be designated is expected by the end of February and is the first stage in producing a Neighbourhood Plan for the area.

Email dpd@redbridge.gov.uk or visit swvg.co.uk/nplan

Members of a local fitness club took part in a 1980s-themed mass workout at the end of 2019 in celebration their leader’s 25th anniversary in fitness and to raise funds for ELHAP, a special needs adventure playground in Woodford Bridge.

“This charity event was the climax of a fantastic year – my 25th anniversary of teaching fitness classes. We managed to find an original Felicity Kendal vinyl exercise LP from the 1980s and hook it up to a sound system… we all enjoyed stepping back in time for the aerobathon,” said South Woodford resident Karen Smith, who runs Fitgirlslim in Gants Hill, Chigwell, Woodford and Clayhall

“Thanks to the generosity of our club members, throughout the year, we have now raised over £5,000 for ELHAP and had a lot of fun along the way.”

Visit swvg.co.uk/fgs

Woodford Town FC officials have expressed their delight following Redbridge Council’s approval of a £1.6m revamp of Ashton Playing Fields in Woodford Green, which will enable the club – currently sharing a ground with Harlow FC – to return to the local area.

“This is a real step forward and it will be a fantastic reward for a lot of effort when the building work begins,” said a spokesperson.

The club, which competes in the Essex Senior League, are keen to build community ties, and have been working with local schools to create a time capsule that will be buried under the proposed 350-seater grandstand.

“It’s great the wheels are turning in our return home. There has been a lot of support in the local area for this. The future is looking very exciting!” added supporter Lloyd Duddridge.

Visit swvg.co.uk/wtfc

Henry Scott stood as an independent candidate for the Leyton and Wanstead constituency in December’s General Election. Having recently turned 18, he was the UK’s youngest candidate.

“The election has been brilliant, and it’s given me a lot of experience, but also educated me a lot on the issues in our area and in the country. From the homeless to business owners, everyone has problems that need to have a change in the way they are dealt with… I was surprised at some of the abuse myself and other parties received, but I’ve been told that’s just how politics works… I am definitely going to run for a councillor position next time. The campaign has spurred me on and built me up with enthusiasm,” said Henry, who received a 1% vote share with 427 votes.

Redbridge Council is seeking feedback from residents as to where communal charging points for electric vehicles should be located.

“The advance of this technology has been slower in this country than some others, but gradually the electric car revolution is taking off. Redbridge Council is keen to support this form of transport, providing a number of charging points across the borough. This is an ongoing process, so expressions of interest are being invited regarding possible sites,” said Councillor Paul Donovan.

Figures provided by the BBC Shared Data Unit in 2019 show Redbridge has a lower than average ratio of charger ports to licensed electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles when compared to the rest of UK (21 charging locations and 426 licensed electric cars).

Email evcp@redbridge.gov.uk

In the third of a series of short stories by members of South Woodford’s Young Writers Club, A White Christmas is a tale of adventure, an evil king and snow, by 10-year-old Viva Sastry

I had always wanted a white Christmas, ever since Grandma had told me about snow. My mother, too, had never known snow. In fact, she had wanted snow so badly, she made my name Snowdrop. My full name is Snowdrop Winters. I was an only child, but I had a cat called Everest, so I was rarely bored. Not with my Grandma’s stories anyway…

“Snowdrop! There’s two days until Christmas Eve!” a voice shouted. “We need to go and get a tree!” the voice said. “Snowdrop!” my mother yelled again. I was down the stairs like lightning.

I got into the car, begging Grandmother for a story. “Alright, alright, Snowdrop,” she said, her eyes sparkling childishly. “Once upon a time, there was snow…” she began. “The snow all came from one source: the snow jar. One day, an evil king – you know his name – who wanted to harness the powers of snow tried to steal it. But a brave hero hid it. To this day, nobody knows where it is…” As we were both sitting in the back, she passed me a blank map. “Some know…” she whispered.

Later that night, a strange sensation awoke me. A light was coming from somewhere. The map! Everest was curled around it. I knew it was calling me. Quietly, I slid out of bed and got dressed. Putting on my glasses, I could now see that the map was covered in words. Instructions! My heart leaped. It was a three-day walk to get to Mount Crystation, one to climb it. Again, I felt a rush of happiness. I could hire a train to Crystation and speed up the journey!

I packed three days’ worth of food, to go there and come back. I also packed the train fare both ways. I had a funny feeling Everest would be coming. Sure enough, she insisted on coming, so I bundled her inside the cat carrier and caught the night train to Crystation. The rattling of the train soon lulled me into sleep. Little did I know someone was watching me…

The train grinding to a halt woke me. I leapt out of the train and walked the 10 or so minutes to Crystation. The mountain loomed over me. The dark crag had an eerie light on it. Somehow, I knew it was here. Leaping up the rock face, I soon reached the chest. Squeezing inside, I saw the snow jar. Inside was a moonstone set in a pendant. There were four quarters – a topaz, a sapphire, a ruby and a diamond, respectively earth, water, fire and air. Set in the middle was the actual moonstone. Snow. Rain. Things that hadn’t been seen for two generations.

“You think I’ll let you escape?” snarled a menacing voice. “You were watching me!” I cried. “You are Archfang the Mystic, that king!” He lunged for the pendant. Everest bit him, and we both tore out of the cave, dashing down the mountain and back into the train, just as it rattled off.

We were safe, and we had the snow jar – no, the element pendant.

Calling all panto fans! Woodford Pantomime warmly invite you to let your hair down as they proudly present their 2020 production, Rapunzel, at the Sir James Hawkey Hall. Karen Kelsey reports

Remarkably, this will be the first time in our 59-year history that the amateur dramatic company has performed this fairy tale favourite, and the cast and crew are looking forward to putting on quite a show!

Taking on the role of director this year is Ellouise Dennis. Ellouise is no stranger to Woodford Pantomime. She joined the cast in 2010 as a dancer, and since then, has had principal roles as Tinkerbell and Sleeping Beauty. In 2016 she jointly choreographed Robin Hood, followed by Jack and the Beanstalk in 2018, and last year’s Treasure Island. “Pantomime has been a huge part of my life and the Hawkey Hall feels like my second home. I love seeing the audiences laugh and sing along, year after year. I’m having so much fun working with this year’s wonderful cast and I’m excited for audiences to see our version of Rapunzel,” said Ellouise.

This year’s dame will be played by Richard Sheepwash, who last performed with Woodford Panto in 2015, when he was one of the Ugly Sisters in Cinderella. Returning after a year out is James Robinson in the role of Prince Frederic, while Rapunzel will be played by Eleanor Davies.

Aside from putting on an entertaining show, Woodford Pantomime are also pleased to raise money for charitable causes. Thanks to the incredible generosity of our 2019 audiences, we raised over £2,000, which we were pleased to hand over to ELHAP (a special needs adventure playground based in Woodford Bridge). This year we will be raising money for the Little Princess Trust, a fantastic charity that provides real-hair wigs to children and young people suffering with cancer or other illnesses.

The Hawkey Hall is ideally placed, approximately half a mile from Woodford Tube Station and a two-minute walk from Woodford High Road. Ample parking is available and nearby there are a variety of local eateries to dine at before or after the show. Tickets went on sale in September and are selling fast for what will be an exciting and hilarious production, so why not join us on this hair-raising adventure?

In the first of two articles, local photographer Geoff Wilkinson discusses his new exhibition – entitled ‘Quick! Before it goes’ – depicting London’s East End, an area which resonates with many residents here

Growing up in London’s East End was a fascinating experience for a young boy. In the 1950s, bomb damage from the war was still very much evident. Living mostly in Stratford, I remember the area just to the right of the old Angel Lane street market which had been completely flattened. No houses or buildings remained; it was just a playground or used for parking vans and cars, such as there were. Perhaps it is the memories of this loss of buildings and architecture that has made me so determined to photograph what is left of the old East End.

When I opened my Whitechapel exhibition last year at the gallery, it was interesting to see the various reactions of the visitors when they saw the photographs. Many of my generation were delighted to see pictures of streets where they had grown up and played or perhaps the buildings where their grandparents had lived. My daughter’s generation, mainly young professionals, reminisced about nights out at bars and restaurants and living in fashionable flats in Whitechapel or Hoxton. For many of these visitors now living in Wanstead, Woodford and the surrounding areas, the common theme, regardless of generation, was the sadness of the familiar places disappearing.

It was the memories shared with me and the emotions the photographs evoked in people that persuaded me to continue on this theme, to capture a wider area of the East End, including Hackney, Bethnal Green (as shown here), Mile End, Bow and much, much more.