The history of local war memorials will be the subject of a presentation for the Woodford and District branch of the National Trust on 15 April. “My interest in war memorials focuses on two points… Firstly, this country is most certainly a better place than it might have been had we lost the major conflicts in the 20th century. Thus we do, in my view, owe a debt to those commemorated on the memorials… Secondly, I believe war memorials are very much part of our social and cultural heritage,” said Richard Speller, whose talk will take place at All Saints’ Church hall in Woodford Green from 2.30pm (visitors: £3). “Having been born in Wanstead and attending Forest School, I recollect local Remembrance Day services, at...

John Meehan, chairman of the Friends of Wanstead Parklands, reveals some of Wanstead Park’s secrets and the surviving features of its long history. Photo of the Repton Oak by Richard Arnopp Wanstead Park has had a variety of uses, styles and functions over hundreds of years. It has been a royal retreat, a deer park, a landscaped garden and, since 1882, a public open space managed as part of Epping Forest. Many surviving features of its long history are still there if you know where to find them! If you enter Wanstead Park from its western end, through the Blake Hall entrance, you enter an area known as Reservoir Wood. Walk for perhaps 150 yards and you will come upon a magnificent oak to the right, with...

Colin Spence runs dog training classes in Snaresbrook and has been working with man’s best friend – and their owners – for 23 years. Here, he explains how much exercise a puppy needs This is a much-talked-about topic and a conversation I have with new puppy owners on a daily basis, as many are not sure how much exercise their very young puppy should get. Well, let’s take a look at this and what we trainers and behaviour practitioners believe in how much is too much and how much is just right and why. Once we get our eight-week-old puppy home, for the first few hours or first few days, they will be getting used to their new environment, moving around the home, investigating everything....

Woodford Arts Group member Ged Rumak explains his love of life drawing and why he thinks a good portrait is more than just a representation of the subject The BBC is wrong to think it is bringing life drawing to the masses in Life Drawing Live! Life drawing is inherent in art education for the simple reason that working from a live model is a unique, complex experience. A life study is a record of the relationship that exists between the artist and the sitter. To put out a programme of life drawing, even with expert tuition in the studio, ignores this relationship, looking at the image of the model on a flat screen as if it were a photograph. In drawing, the aim is to have...

A project which has been bringing the community together by collating wartime memories of Redbridge will stage a theatre production in South Woodford this April. Alfie James reports Did you know that part of Beale High School used to be a prisoner of war camp and the local children used to swap coffee for teabags with the Italian prisoners through the fence? From stories of rationing and being evacuated to blackouts and bombings, the Hope and Glory community theatre project set out to explore what life was like living in Redbridge during the Second World War. We have set up two groups: a group of researchers meeting regularly at Redbridge Museum and a group of local performers using performance techniques to explore what life was like...

A South Woodford mum has launched a website to help other parents explore cultural and historical places in London and further afield. “I live in South Woodford with my husband, my dog Inca and my little girl Lily. I have worked in museums and the heritage industry for many years. When Lily came along, I wanted to find practical and comfortable ways to visit cultural places, taking baby Lily with me in a pram. So I set up a website to provide helpful and unbiased information about how to do this,” said Amy Wilson, whose blog includes reviews of venues, their facilities and advice on how best to travel there with a pram. Destinations covered so far include The Foundling Museum, Tower of London, British...

Before being diagnosed with cancer in 2016, Lucy Howe ran a wellness clinic in South Woodford. Now in remission, she is keen to help others again with her cancer support group and retreats Being told you have cancer is one of the scariest things you can ever hear. I know, because I’ve heard the words: “You have cancer.” That was the day the world fell out of my bottom! Being diagnosed with cancer four years ago shocked me to the core, but made me realise the environment of my body was out of balance and I was being warned something needed to be done. What can cause cancer? Is it the toxicity around us or is it stress-related from a busy lifestyle?  Who knows? Making choices...

Parents with too many children’s clothes and toys will have the chance to sell them to other local parents at NCT Redbridge’s nearly new sale at Christ Church hall in Wanstead on 25 April. Stallholders keep 70% of their sale prices, with the rest supporting the charity’s work. Seller registration opens to the general public on 9 March (cost: £5). “Keep an eye on our Facebook page so you don’t miss out when it goes live as seller spaces sold out within 24 hours for our November sale,” said a spokesperson. Doors open to buyers at 11am, although NCT members (with a valid membership card) get early entrance at 10.45am. “You will be supporting other local parents as well as the work of NCT. Finish...

The Great British Spring Clean 2020 runs from 20 March to 13 April, and the South Woodford Society will be taking part in the initiative. “We ran our first litter pick of the year on a Sunday in February. Unfortunately, the eight hardy souls who turned out were rather hindered by Storm Ciara! We collected eight bags of rubbish and some recycling before we were beaten by the weather,” said a spokesperson. Last year, more than 560,000 #LitterHeroes from across the nation took part in the Great British Spring Clean. “We will be planning another litter pick very soon, so make sure you are on our mailing list and check our social media for details. Together, we can make a difference. All our individual actions...

Members of the Wanstead, Woodford and Barkingside Marie Curie Fundraising Group have reached their £100,000 target. Jill Playford thanks local supporters and explains how the money will be used A celebration was held in February to thank all supporters and collectors who helped us to raise the fantastic amount of £100,000 over the last few years, paying for 5,000 Marie Curie nursing hours. We get wonderful support from our local communities with local businesses donating raffle prizes, Wanstead High School donating the proceeds from their annual charity cross country run, Wanstead House holding cake and coffee mornings to raise money and students from Forest School helping out at our Great Daffodil Appeal collections. The group was formed in June 2013 with four members who had all...

Rising at Molehill Green in Essex, the River Roding passes through the Wanstead and Woodford area en route to the Thames, bringing with it a very real flood risk to local homes. In the eighth of a series of articles, Nina Garner from the Environment Agency reports on the River Roding Project, which aims to reduce that risk. Photo by Geoff Wilkinson On Saturday 21 December 2019, the Environment Agency issued flood alerts and warnings along the River Roding due to heavy rainfall. These informed local residents of a risk of flooding and covered areas including Woodford, Ilford, Barking, Loughton and East Ham. Although no properties were flooded in 2019, the river peaked at 7am on 21 December, reaching 1.83m. This river level reached was the...

Ultrasound Choir has donated £1,369 to Breast Cancer Now, the UK’s largest breast cancer charity. The money was raised at the choir’s two Christmas cabaret shows last December. “We held a raffle on each night and are very grateful to local businesses for their generous donations that made the night such a success,” said a spokesperson. Breast Cancer Now local representative Denise Dorking visited the choir at Derby Road Methodist Church – where the singers meet every Tuesday at 7.30pm – to formally receive the donation. “Our Christmas cabaret shows were amazing evenings… We are now organising a vintage afternoon tea at All Saints’ Church on 30 May, and again we will be donating the proceeds to Breast Cancer Now,” said choir leader Lisa Tsindides....