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Local owners of classic cars and motorcycles came together at Derby Road car park in June. The social gathering – which saw 26 different vehicles take part – is now set to become a regular event.

“The plan was to gather for two hours on a Sunday morning and the only instructions were to bring along a classic car and grab a cuppa… During the weeks running up to the event, flyers were printed and placed on classic cars parked in the area. With the aid of social media, the only thing left to do was to see what would happen. By the 10am start time, the first four cars were parked up. Every time I looked up, another car arrived, followed by another and another,” said Gary Zylberszac, who organised the event. “The oldest vehicle was a 1943 James Auto Cycle and each of the next five decades of motoring were all represented too… Thank you to everyone who turned up, with or without a car, for an awesome couple of hours!” The next gathering is planned for 11 August.

Visit swvg.co/classiccars

The inaugural exhibition of the recently formed Woodford Arts Group was hailed a resounding success by organisers, following a good turnout over a weekend in June. The three-day display at Packfords Hotel showcased work by local artists, including the group’s founder Julia Brett.

“I was knocked out by the amount of visitors over the three days. People seemed genuinely delighted to find art by local people at a local venue. And the question most asked was ‘when are we holding our next one?’” said Julia, who established the group at the end of last year to help local creatives share and showcase their talents and create an awareness of local art. As a thank you to the exhibition hosts, Debra Packford was presented with a framed illustration of the hotel, drawn by Darren Evans.

The art group – which is open to all Woodford-based artists – hopes to hold two events annually, with plans being developed for a second event to take place in the autumn.

Visit woodfordartsgroup.org

Redbridge Council is considering an application to construct a nine-storey office block at 10–12 Eastwood Close in South Woodford, the site of Incey Winceys Day Nursery.

“Many residents are concerned about this application… There are many issues here, not least whether office space is required in this location, and over 120 objections have been made to the council. We would argue that the site needs a considered approach, rather than piecemeal buildings. At the time of writing, we are waiting to hear when this is going to be discussed by the council, but your comments will still be taken into consideration if you have not yet made a representation,” said a South Woodford Society spokesperson.

Under the plans, the ground and first floors would remain in use as a nursery.

Visit swvg.co/ewood

Local residents and councillors came together in June to clear away the overgrown greenery at the back of the Derby Road car park.

“We also took to the surrounding streets, up to the High Road and round by the Churchill statue, to clear away litter. Over 20 bags of rubbish were collected, with over six bags of recycling sorted on our return,” said a spokesperson for the South Woodford Society, which organised the event. “We’re aiming to organise our next litter pick in the autumn, so please get in touch if you would like to be involved.”

The South Woodford Society is an independent, voluntary and non-political group working to ‘build a stronger community, support local businesses and make South Woodford a better place to live and work’.

Email e18society@gmail.com

A tea and cake garden party at the home of a South Woodford resident has raised over £7,000 for Haven House.

“This means we have enough to pay for a day of care at the hospice… Thank you to everyone that supported the event,” said Michelle Vanlint, who hosted her 14th annual garden party on Derby Road in June.

A day’s care at Haven House Children’s Hospice costs £5,666. The Woodford Green charity looks after children who have life-limiting or life-threatening conditions.

Visit swvg.co/cake14

Anyone suffering from osteoporosis – a condition where bones lose strength and break more easily – is invited to attend a talk outlining the latest research into the disease in Woodford Green on 11 July.

Hosted by the North East London Support Group of the Royal Osteoporosis Society, the event – which will take place from 1.15pm to 3pm at St Thomas of Canterbury Church (£4.50) – will feature guest speaker Professor Susan Lanham-New from the University of Surrey. “Professor Lanham-New will be talking about the important role of nutrition for good bone health and the latest research, and we are delighted to be able to hear the latest news from such a well-respected expert,” said Stella Scrivener, development manager for the Royal Osteoporosis Society.

Call 07503 070 653

A student from Bancroft’s School in Woodford Green has been shortlisted for the National Theatre’s annual playwriting competition for 14- to 19-year-olds, and will have her play read by professional actors as part of the New Views Festival on 2 July. Emilia Hitching’s original play To Charlie was one of nine plays shortlisted from 350 entries across the UK by a panel of judges including playwright Chris Bush and NT Associate Director Lyndsey Turner. “New Views has been a creative outlet for me during a fairly taxing first year of sixth form and I have cherished the hours that I spent working on my script. It has been gratifying to have something which is solely mine, that I can pour all my creative energy into and polish not because it will be graded or examined but because I care about it,” said Emilia.

A jumble trail will take place on 6 July as residents of Chelmsford Road – and several surrounding roads – turn their front gardens into temporary retail spaces and invite their neighbours and the wider community to browse their pre-loved goods.

“With more than 20 homes already signed up to participate, and more set to join in as the event approaches, this should be a great community event for people to meet neighbours, declutter and reuse other people’s unwanted items,” said organiser Natalie Macatonia. The trail – which is sponsored by Portico estate agents and will be raising money for Haven House Children’s Hospice – will run from 9am to 1pm, with maps highlighting the houses taking part to be distributed to local homes and posted online and in the local area.

Visit swvg.co/chlemstrail

The new parking rules that came into force at Sainsbury’s on 7 May were modified in June following customer feedback. Drivers were originally provided with 15 minutes of free, unvalidated parking, but this was subsequently increased to 30 minutes, with stays of up to two hours requiring a £5 minimum spend. A petition against the restrictions – which has received 1,700 signatures – was launched by Suzanne Bennett of Sid & Evie’s children’s boutique, whose shop, along with neighbouring Cardcraft, is also able to issue parking vouchers. Sainsbury’s manager Mark Twell has expressed a desire to find a way to ensure the car park continues to serve the community.

To view the petition, click here.

To contact Sainsbury’s South Woodford, call 020 8989 8224.

Woodford Town Football Club has released design ideas for their new kit ahead of the club’s long-awaited return to the local area. The Essex Senior League team – who finished sixth last season, playing home games at the Harlow Arena – looked to influential people from the Woodford area for inspiration for their new kit, and settled upon former resident Sylvia Pankhurst.

“The club hit upon a diagonal sash design, a nod to Sylvia and her involvement with the suffragette movement,” said a club spokesperson. The team – who currently play in a kit of a yellow shirt and blue shorts in honour of their Brazilian football style – hope to relocate to a new facility on Ashton Playing Fields off Chigwell Road in time for the new season in September.

“Our vision is to be an inclusive, community-based club… We would like to expand our fan base and establish a women’s team. We are also keen to hear from local businesses for sponsorship.” Follow the club on Twitter

Redbridge Council has been awarded over £2m to help elderly and disabled residents adapt their home so they can live independently and safely.

The government funding can be used to alter the homes of people who require assistance, including handles near stairs and doors, stair lifts and specialist showers.

“This will have a hugely positive impact on our residents who really need it.  We want help people live in their homes as long as they can and this funding will help ensure residents get the support they need to live independently and comfortably,” said Barry Francis, Operational Director of Civic pride.

Call 020 8708 7333.

The Friends of Elmhurst Gardens are appealing for young volunteers to help keep the Green Flag award-winning park tidy. Kaede Harding – who completed her Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award earlier this year – explains why she was proud to help

In recent months, I have spent an hour of my Saturday mornings clearing up as much rubbish as I could from Elmhurst Gardens. The reason I did this was part of my three-month volunteer section for my Bronze Duke of Edinburgh award.

As I approached the time for volunteer work, I thought about how I wanted to do something meaningful that wouldn’t be a half-hearted job just to get an award.

Elmhurst Gardens in South Woodford is my local park. I’m a resident of Wynndale Road and, over the years, myself and my family have frequently used the park for picnics, to play tennis, to hang out on sunny afternoons and to attend some of the fun events run by the volunteer group, the Friends of Elmhurst Gardens. Not once in that time has it ever occurred to me how the park remained so clean and well kept – which it really is. I decided my volunteering time would be well spent there, contributing towards this.

Having finished my volunteer work, I can say the experience has truly been eye-opening. Each Saturday, I saw many local faces, who became more and more familiar to me, from dog walkers to runners. I felt like I was in touch with the community.

I began the exercise simply clearing any litter I could during that one hour a week, but as time went on, I found myself more upset as I came across litter – it suddenly bothered me that little bit more.

Elmhurst Gardens is a well-maintained park with regular park cleaners, but we shouldn’t just rely on them; we should all be playing our part to keep it this way. Some of the items I cleared away during just one hour on a Saturday morning included sweet wrappers, bottles, cigarette butts, canisters of laughing gas and even dirty nappies left on the grass. Just after New Year’s Eve, I found a burnt-out Chinese lantern complete with non-disintegrating wire still attached, lying on the pathway where it had finally fallen. I’m ashamed to say, perhaps I wouldn’t have noticed these things before doing this exercise – but I’m more alert to the issues now.

I realise how important Elmhurst Gardens is to this area and can now appreciate how littering is not only letting down the environment but our community as well. We all have a responsibility towards creating a safe place for ourselves, our children and our dogs.

I haven’t written this article because it was part of my award, but because it means something to me, and if it helps people to think more about how they discard rubbish and look out for their local community, then it’s certainly worth it.

My name is Kaede Harding and I’m proud to be a part of this community.