Editor

Volunteering is rewarding and changes lives, says Rose Meredith of Vision RCL, who is encouraging residents to come and experience the joy of helping others at South Woodford Library this summer

This year, Volunteers’ Week runs from 1 to 8 June. This is when we thank volunteers for all they do and their contributions to volunteering in Redbridge Libraries.

Redbridge libraries are run by Vision Redbridge Culture and Leisure, and we recruit volunteers in Wanstead and South Woodford libraries to assist the public with all kinds of activities: from individual computer help, such as assistance with filling in online forms, to volunteering to deliver books as part of our Home Library Service for housebound readers, and volunteers enjoy being part of our children’s programme of activities, helping to deliver rhyme time sessions for under-5s.

We also have many young volunteers who assist us during the summer holidays with our annual Summer Reading Challenge, now in its 20th year. This is part of our wider programme of children’s summer activities we offer for children aged between four and 12 to boost their reading skills. This year, children who take part in the Summer Reading Challenge will be earning exciting prizes and medals for reading and talking to our volunteers about the books they have chosen to read. Volunteers make it fun for the children to keep reading throughout the summer and the children meet others in their local area and make new friends in South Woodford.

We are very grateful to our volunteers. We want to say a very big thank you to everyone for being part of our vibrant volunteer community and, of course, we welcome enquiries if you want to start volunteering in your local library.

Come along to South Woodford Library on 8 June – drop in between 2pm and 4pm – if you want to find out about being a volunteer in our Summer Reading Challenge. You can volunteer from the age of 14. The theme this year is ‘Space Chase’, inspired by the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing. Children taking part in the challenge will join our super space family, The Rockets, for a thrilling mission to track down books nabbed by mischievous aliens. There will be fun, prizes and, of course, a medal for each child who completes the challenge.

Our volunteers will be essential in helping us achieve the very best outcomes for all children who attend and our volunteers say they have a great time during the summer holidays with the children, the staff and the other volunteers. So, if you would like to join in and become a volunteer, come along to South Woodford Library and talk to us.

Following concerns over traffic, parking and child safety issues at Churchfields Junior School, Councillor Rosa Gomez (Churchfields, Labour) explains why she would like more children to arrive on foot

Many parents have contacted me to say how concerned they are about child safety outside Churchfields Junior School. The road itself is very busy with lots of traffic. Unfortunately,  some parents are adding to these risks by driving up to the school gates and parking dangerously as they drop off children.

In response, I organised a morning visit outside the school with Head Teacher Julie Anderson and colleagues from Redbridge Council’s Highways Department so we could see exactly what the situation is like and discuss solutions. I also spoke to parents so I could better understand their concerns. As someone who is registered blind, I use a personal assistant in my job as a councillor. My assistant described to me what was going on so I was able to appreciate how haphazard the parking was and just how hectic the whole area was at that time of day. As you can see from the photograph above, cars are mounting the kerb and blocking the pavement: evidence of how dangerous it is for children trying to walk safely on the pavement, let alone cross the road!

It was clear to all of us that a coordinated approach to reducing car traffic was needed to ensure children’s safety. And luckily, the council has recently launched a consultation about a new pilot scheme which will do just that. The Redbridge Schools Clean Air Zones will filter traffic surrounding some schools during drop-off and pick-up times, so the streets can only be accessed by cyclists and pedestrians during those periods, unless vehicles receive an exemption.

It will start in streets surrounding SS Peter and Paul’s Catholic Primary School and Gordon Primary school in Ilford, and I have been assured that streets surrounding Churchfields Junior School are also being considered. I am determined to support parents in this issue to ensure children can get to and from school safely.

Please do take up the opportunity to take part in the consultation and say what you think and help us to make sure Redbridge can become a safer and healthier place for our children, young people and all of us.

These schemes will also help tackle air pollution. A number of studies have shown evidence of increases in childhood asthma linked to pollution. So, reducing pollution is also critical to children’s health. More than 70% of Redbridge school-aged children live within one mile of their school, and the council is working hard to help children and families find healthier and safer ways to travel there – like walking, cycling or scooting.

Elaine Atkins and Louise Burgess were among the volunteers who helped give South Woodford a spring clean in March, removing 30-plus bags of litter from our streets

#GBSpringClean invited volunteers to spruce up their local communities up and down the country between 22 March and 23 April, and during the first week, nine community groups and five schools organised litter picks in partnership with the Neighbourhood Team across Redbridge.

We were delighted to see so many people turn up for our South Woodford event. You never know who’s going to be there, and it was great to see families, our councillors and groups of friends, as well as people by themselves – we even had a picker in a pushchair!

Everyone was speaking to each other within minutes and it was great to see the community coming together. Councillor Beverly Brewer (South Woodford, Labour) came along to help and said: “I was delighted to be able to join so many neighbours for the recent litter pick. All credit to the South Woodford Society for taking this initiative. I am optimistic that the extra £1 million that the council has invested in street cleaning will make South Woodford cleaner.”

Redbridge Council provided litter pickers, high-vis jackets and sacks for recycling and rubbish, and groups of volunteers litter picked through five busy routes. George Lane, the Woodford High Road and the verges by Charlie Brown’s Roundabout were all targets for the litter heroes.

The volunteers picked up litter enthusiastically for over an hour and a half. It was hard to get them to stop! There must have been at least 30 rubbish sacks that we left in piles alongside the bins, and lots of recycling too. We found car number plates, a pair of expensive sunglasses and shoes – neatly placed together on the kerb. Cigarette butts were everywhere and it’s as if people don’t realise they are littering when they throw them away. But they are! If only smokers would use the bins or the very cheap pouches you can get these days.

It is also worth mentioning the council planning notices left to rot on lamp posts, as well as the lost pet posters. It was so sad to think of all those pets still missing but hopefully, most of them have been found now. It would be so helpful if everyone who puts the posters up – including the Planning Department – could come and take them down again.

Sadly, the volunteers were unable to do anything about chewing gum, but the good news is that the Redbridge  Our Streets Neighbourhood Team are looking into a number of options to alleviate this problem, such as a chewing gum bin trial at South Woodford Station or a gum cleaning machine – so we may start to see some improvement in the amount of gum on the streets during the summer.

Councillor Clark Vasey (Churchfields, Conservative) said: “It was great to see so many local residents take to the streets to clean up their own area. While Woodford might not be high on the council’s priorities, it is clear how much residents care and the piles of bags of rubbish at the end of the spring clean shows just what a difference people who care about their area can make.”

Lots of people approached us to spur us on and to ask when the next litter pick will be so that they can be involved. It’s always hard to get everyone to know about these events but we’ll do our best to get the word out for the next event, so please check our Facebook and Twitter pages for the latest information, and if you are not a member, please send in your details to join our email distribution list.

London Hearts is a charity placing defibrillators in communities across the country. Kimberley Lloyd encourages South Woodford businesses and venues to apply for a life-saving device of their own

The biggest killer in the UK is not smoking, alcohol abuse or even road traffic accidents; it’s cardiac arrest, an electrical malfunction of the heart that results in over 100,000 deaths each year.

When a cardiac arrest occurs, time is of the essence. The patient needs to be stabilised and kept alive until the ambulance arrives.  Unfortunately, the stats are not in the patient’s favour, as for each minute lost after arrest there is a 10% loss of life expectancy, and as the average UK ambulance arrival time is eight to 10 minutes – well, you do the maths!

The availability and usage of a public access defibrillator means the chance of survival from cardiac arrest increases from 6% to an amazing 74%. You never really want to be more than 100 metres from an available defibrillator.

London Hearts is a charity committed to providing individuals and communities all over England with life-saving defibrillators to protect as many people as possible. The charity deals with the procurement and supply of the defibrillators and supporting equipment, as well as incidentals, including problem-solving and free CPR and awareness training, which is often the hidden cost providing a financial sting in the tail when a defibrillator is sourced via the retail market.

Not all defibrillators are the same, of course, as there are lots on the market. It is important to ensure that the one chosen is fit for purpose and also quickly accessible and usable, whether it be an adult or child who needs attention.

In reality, anyone can use a defibrillator – it is simply a matter of confidence. Any training is a matter of familiarisation. The defibrillator is so advanced that it literally talks the user through the procedure. Be assured, it is impossible to deliver a shock to a patient not in cardiac arrest, so there is no question of making the patient any worse or incurring any liability.

You can find out where your nearest defibrillator in South Woodford is by downloading the GoodSAM app and typing in your postcode.

Where possible, we recommend that all defibrillators are public access and encourage all businesses, schools and sports clubs to have one in their facilities. You can apply for a defibrillator on our website and we are offering a £500 grant towards all applications from the South Woodford area.

Redbridge Council has unveiled plans to bring waste collections back in-house by ending its contract with Amey and creating a new council-owned company to manage the service.

“This is a huge win for the borough as it ends our reliance on a private company,” said the council leader.

Two South Woodford residents will be making final touches to their gardens in May and June as they prepare to open their gates to the public for the charitable National Garden Scheme (NGS).

Helen Auty of 46 Cheyne Avenue will be taking part in the initiative for the seventh time when she welcomes visitors to her fruit and vegetable garden on 7 July (12 noon to 5pm; entry: £4). While Laura Piercy-Farley of 25 Mulberry Way will open her Italian patio-style garden for the first time on 14 July (1pm to 5pm; entry: £3).

Helen and Laura are among 3,500 gardeners in England and Wales taking part in the scheme. “Thanks to the generosity of owners, volunteers and visitors, we have donated a total of £55m to nursing and health charities, and made an annual donation of £3.1m in 2018,” said an NGS spokesperson.

Changes to parking regulations at Sainsbury’s in South Woodford will come into force on 7 May.

The new rules will require shoppers who use one of the 298 car parking spaces to spend at least £5 in store in order to receive a parking voucher. Drivers will then be required to scan the voucher at a kiosk in the foyer and to enter their vehicle registration number to authorise two hours of free parking. Shoppers spending less than £5 at the George Lane supermarket will be allowed to park for up to 15 minutes without the need to validate their parking.

“We are doing this to enable the genuine customers of South Woodford Sainsbury’s to be able to shop and park where they want, when they want, as currently this isn’t that case,” said store manager Mark Twell.

The changes will apply Monday to Saturday from 7am to 10pm and Sundays and Bank Holidays from 10am to 4pm.

“If you have any questions, please ask one of our colleagues, who will be happy to help”.

Call 020 8989 8224

South Woodford Library will be taking part in the nationwide 30th birthday celebrations for Elmer the Patchwork Elephant this May.

“For 30 years Elmer has stood for accepting who you are and celebrating difference. We are all different… The differences are what make the world so rich. It’s strange, because we humans seem to like difference in other things, in dogs and trees and flowers, but we don’t accept it in people. If people aren’t like us, we don’t accept them. Elmer tried to be like the other elephants, but in the end, he has to be himself,” said author and artist David McKee, who first published Elmer in 1989 and went on to write 39 follow-up titles. Over 8m copies have been sold worldwide.

Elmer Day is on 25 May, with the library offering free elephant-themed craft activities for four- to 12-year-olds and creating Elmer-coloured milk cartons from 11am to 12 noon. Celebrations will also take place at Woodford Green Library from 10.30am.

Call 020 8708 9067

Businesses in the George Lane and Woodford High Road areas got together in April for the South Woodford Business Forum’s (SWBF) latest meeting. The forum – which was re-established last year to improve communication and provide support for high street traders – was also attended by local councillors and a representative of Redbridge Council, the South Woodford Society and Churchfields Ward Panel.

“At the meeting, Krisztina Vamos (Redbridge West Neighbourhood Engagement and Education Officer) and Councillors Rosa Gomez and Clark Vasey listened to businesses’ concerns about littering, homelessness and traffic,” said an SWBF spokesperson.

The next forum is scheduled for 12 July at 11am in the Sainsbury’s meeting room.

Email swbf@swvg.co.uk

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