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 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...

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...

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...

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....

As part of Local History Month, Lynn Haseldine Jones will be leading a walk around Snaresbrook to discover the history of this commuter suburb, starting with the Georgian period and then looking at later developments in Victorian and Edwardian times. Here, the local historian describes some of the sites that will be visited. Photo of Snaresbrook Crown Court by Geoff Wilkinson We begin at Snaresbrook Station, where the railway first came in 1856. Changing the nature of the village from a predominantly Georgian settlement to a bustling Victorian suburb, there is still evidence of the Great Eastern Railway, hardly noticed by passengers on the busy Central Line. Along Hollybush Hill are a few Victorian houses. Mornington Lodge has changed its name to Kingsley Grange, but Staffa...

Following East London Wine School’s recent launch at Wanstead Golf Club, school director and wine expert Sam Alder explains why a trip to the Aosta Valley left a pleasant aftertaste that lingers to this day So, how did I end up working in the wine industry and owning a wine school? Not a traditional career choice and certainly not an option on the career day at school! My first job was in banking. I loved it and suspect it was there I discovered wine. We ‘drank’ wine, a lot of wine, but only after work, of course! My passion for ‘tasting’ was thanks to some bad weather and a great sommelier. Halfway through our annual Italian ski trip there was an avalanche; the ski slopes...

To celebrate 50 years of the RSPB’s Local Groups, the North East London branch will be joined by the conservation charity’s president in South Woodford this June. David Littlejohns invites you to the party Big national organisations don’t always think too much about the local scene. But 50 years ago, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds was an exception, and so started its first Local Group, known as the Epping Forest Group. Others soon followed, and the idea has now spread so widely that there are over 140 RSPB Local Groups dotted all over the UK. So this year, on 14 June, we shall be celebrating having started this movement in 1969, and we have separated Miranda Krestovnikoff, the president of the RSPB,...