Issue 7 - Waltham Forest Echo

Your independent community newspaper
WALTHAM
FOREST ECHO
Sept / Oct 2015
No 7, Free
www.walthamforestecho.co.uk
facebook.com/WalthamForestEcho
T: @WFEcho
E: WFEcho@socialspider.com
News
News
Interview
Preview
Feature
P . 3
P.4
P . 6
P . 11
P . 12
A new migrants centre has
opened and aims to give
support and advice
The voluntary sector in
Waltham Forest is in a
‘dire situation’
We meet some of the people
trying to make the borough a
greener place to live
Looking ahead to the fifth
annual Stow Festival, a
weekend of live music
Living on benefits in Waltham
Forest? We talk to people hit
by government cuts
Money pours in for
homeless Harry
Hundreds of pounds donated through a crowdfunding
campaign to help get vulnerable man off streets
by James Cracknell
G
enerous donors have
pledged more than £800
to help a homeless man
“with a good heart”
get off the streets.
Marian Hargas, who goes by the
nickname Harry, was promised a
job in London to help him start a
new life following a family tragedy
in his native Slovakia.
But the job was a con and Harry
ended up homeless in Walthamstow with no money and no friends
in a foreign country.
Massage therapist Fran Dewar
saw Harry on the streets and was
so moved by his story she not only
gave him some change but set up
an online campaign via the charitable website Just Giving.
The campaign aims to raise
£1,000 to fund YMCA accommodation for six weeks, long enough
for the 36-year-old to find a job.
Harry can speak basic English
and is skilled in computing but
cannot work without a proof
of address. In her heartwarming
appeal, Fran said: “After meeting
Harry I was inspired to help him.
“He is a gentle man, with a good
heart, and despite his situation
still remains positive and proactive in trying to help himself. He
just needs a helping hand to get
him started.
“Harry has the right to work
and live in the UK and wants to
make a life for himself here. All he
needs is enough money to get him
into accommodation so he is off
the streets and can apply for a job.
“Harry does not drink or take
any drugs. The funds will get
him started so he can make his
Harry was promised a job in London but it never materialised, leaving him homeless
own income. There are so many
people we can’t help, but we can
help Harry.”
Speaking to the Echo, Harry
said Fran was “a nice human” and
was surprised by the generosity of
people in Walthamstow.
“I met this woman and she said
she wanted to help me,” Harry
said. “I don’t know why, she must
be a nice human. A few other
people promised to help me as well
but Fran really wanted to.
“I have met someone who might
give me a job but I need accommodation. I don’t want to speak about
what happened to me but I have
nobody to go back to in Slovakia.
“I want to start a new life here.
There are a lot of nice people here.”
To help Harry find accomodation.
Visit: https://crowdfunding.justgiving.
com/new-start-for-harry
You can also donate to Shelter, the
housing and homelessness charity that
helps homeless families find somewhere
to call home
Visit: http://england.shelter.org.uk/donate
Tel: 0808 800 4444
Advertisement
Colour the capital
S
treet art continues to
spring up all across
Waltham Forest, and
now another local group
has joined in the fun.
Forest Recycling Project (FRP),
which has an enormous store
of secondhand paint in Bakers
Avenue, unveiled the first of a
series of street art murals in Elmfield Road, near Coppermill Lane
in Walthamstow.
The colourful artwork was
created by renowned Italian street
artist Huntoland, whose “unique
style and abstract workings” are
expressed throughout the piece.
It is part of FRP’s “Colour the
Capital” project which, in partnership with Global Street Art, won
just under £50,000 from the Big
Lottery Fund last year. Nine murals
in total will be painted across three
East London boroughs.
In conjunction with the
project, FRP is also giving away
2,000 litres of free paint for
not-for-profit organisations and
community groups based in
Waltham Forest.
For more information
Email: paint@frponline.org.uk or
Email: lee@globalstreetart.com
2
No 7 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2015 WALTHAM FOREST ECHO
COMMENT
FELLOWSHIP IS LIFE
An introduction to your redesigned newspaper
New migrants’ support centre opens
Designer Jonathan Duncan has led the new redesign of the Waltham Forest Echo and here
explains how local history has helped shape it
Weekly advice sessions now taking place in Walthamstow
The Waltham Forest Echo is an independent
community newspaper for the borough.
We publish every two months and distribute 20,000 free copies of each issue through
shops and community spaces.
Editor
David Floyd
Deputy Editor
Amy Croome
Online Editor
Amina Ahmed
Art Direction
Jonathan Duncan
Advertising Sales
T: 020 8521 7956
E: WFEcho@socialspider.com
The member organisations of
WFWellComm CIC are:
Age UK Waltham Forest
Community Transport Waltham Forest
HEET
Learning Disability Experience
Social Spider CIC
Streetlife Radio CIC
WFWellComm CIC Management Board:
David Floyd (Social Spider CIC)
Stanton Lafoucade (Streetlife Radio CIC)
Tom Ruxton (HEET)
Helen Tredoux
(Community Transport Waltham Forest)
Ann Weekes
(Learning Disability Experience)
Waltham Forest Echo
Social Spider CIC,
The Mill, 7-11 Coppermill Lane,
Walthamstow, London, E17 7HA
Waltham Forest Echo began with funding
by The National Lottery through Big
Lottery Fund
Feature
James Cracknell meets the people working
to make the borough greener P . 6
NEWS
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2015: No7
Contributors
Andy Mirror
Ann Williams
Deborah Nash
Diana Korchien
Ed Swan
James Cracknell
James Wood
Jane Duran
Katie Robinson
Sarah Jones
Shelly Berry
Tamzin Ivie Grace Iyayi
Tayba Hussain
Zakiya Abbas
3
WALTHAM FOREST ECHO SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2015 No 7
The Doves Type metal punches Credit: Sam Armstrong
A
ny design approach that
seeks to meaningfully
engage with an area,
community or place
should be committed to revisiting
its past, to read into what is, and
what was, present, and how the
local people shaped it.
Neglecting this stage of a design
process would result in an imposition, a projection of what one
assumes of many, which would misguide the process and ensure the
results are poorer for it.
Above Vestry House Museum,
like an attic for the collected
memory of the area, is stored
the local archives that initiated
the research that later informed
the design of the newspaper. While
a family studied 18th century
maps to recover a picture of a
distant relative’s life, we researched
Waltham Forest’s newspaper past
and present, accelerating through
decades of time on microfilms, and
learning the historical symbolism
of Waltham Forest’s coat of arms.
Research which has been distilled
for the modern day and is echoed
in the newspaper’s mark as well as
the layout.
The fundamental conflicts that
had to be navigated during the
process of redesign was to avoid
the newspaper feeling ‘corporate’,
while also ensuring that none of
the visual references were in any
way muddled or suggestive of the
endemic transformation that gentrification is having on most boroughs in London.
The design and layout has hence
been conducted with a confident
sense of simplicity, preserving only
what is functional, and nothing
more. This simplicity has been
imbued by the Royal Institute of
Blind People’s guidance on design
and typography for people with low
vision or sight difficulties.
These considerations preoccupied the design decisions and led
to the clear typographic hierarchy
that soberly distinguishes between
the various elements on the page,
while using typefaces that have been
specifically designed for editorial
use to maximise readability.
The ‘white space’ of the pages –
thought of not just as the paper the
newspaper is printed on – has been
left quiet where possible, and has
instead been used to bring an overall
sense of lightness to the pages and
transparency to the articles.
The headline typeface, ‘Doves
Type’, is a digital recreation of a
typeface reclaimed from the riverbed of the Thames. The metal type,
as was used in the day, was com-
mitted to the river off Hammersmith Bridge between the dates of
August 1916 and January 1917, by
Cobden-Sanderson following the
collapse of his relationship with
his business partner and co-owner of Doves Press, Emery Walker.
Both men were part of a group of
artists and craftsmen that gathered
around William Morris - who was
famously born in Walthamstow and are considered to have been significant contributors to the Arts and
Crafts Movement. Using some 150
pieces of the original metal type, designer Robert Green has resurrected
that typeface, considered by some
to be forever lost.
It has been our attempt to redesign the newspaper with a neutral,
open and approachable stance
that has given a suitable form
to the writing within the newspaper, written by the community, for
the community.
If you find that you are unable to read
the newspaper fluently, articles will later
be made available online where they can
be read at your preferred type size, or
through a diction programme.
Visit: www.walthamforestecho.co.uk
Comments on the redesign to
Twitter: @tobe_averb or
Email: tobeaverb@gmail.com
From the editor of the Waltham Forest Echo
by Sarah Jones
W
by David Floyd
W
vember the Echo will be coming
out every month. It’s a big leap
but now is the right time to take it.
One consequence of our move
to monthly publication is that
there will be editing to be done
and I will no longer be able to edit
the Echo as part of my job at
Social Spider.
The good news is that James
Cracknell, a local journalist who
has been writing for the Echo
from issue one and has recently
become more involved as a freelance editor, will be taking over in
A
new drop-in centre for
migrants has begun
weekly sessions providing support and advice
in the borough.
Walthamstow Migrants’ Support
Centre is a project organised by the
Walthamstow Migrants’ Action
Group, a team of community
members dedicated to supporting migrants, fostering community integration, and challenging
the negative political discourse
around migration.
Every Tuesday morning from
10am to 1pm, anyone who needs
support or advice on issues of migration will be welcomed by the
group in Saint Saviour’s Church
in Walthamstow.
It is a friendly and comfortable
setting, an opportunity to relax
and chat with tea and coffee, as
well as the chance to get oneon-one support from experts on
issues around migration.
Canon Steven Saxby, the secretary of the group, explained the
objectives behind the foundation
of the group, and how these led to
the new project. He said: “When
we launched the group we had
three aims.
November. He’ll do a great job.
I will continue to manage the
project overall and, hopefully, do
a bit more writing for the paper.
One subject I’ll be writing about
is the challenge facing the local
voluntary sector. As the story on
page 4 makes clear, local charities
and social enterprises are currently facing major difficulties, due
both to reductions in funding and
ongoing uncertainty about when
and how further cuts will happen.
As a newspaper owned by some
local charities and social enterpris-
“Firstly, to provide support and
advice for migrants in Walthamstow, and we hope that the support
centre will be part of achieving that.
“We also wanted to provide
opportunities for migrants and
non-migrants in Walthamstow to
be engaged in positive integration –
we often talk about how Walthamstow is a multicultural community,
but we were wondering if sometimes, although we talk the talk, do
we really have the relationships? So
we wanted to be intentional about
bringing people together.
“
We want to challenge
the negative narratives
around migration
”
“Finally, we wanted to challenge
negative narratives in the political
scene and in the media around migration. Whatever the complications and difficult issues around
migration, we want to engage the
community in the long term and
help people to see that migration
is not a negative issue but a positive
one which enriches our community.
“We’ve been working with
different groups to get them on
board too, so that people don’t see
a fringe group, but a community
working together.”
The chairman of the group, Dr
Shaukat Khan, agrees. He said:
“The political culture around migration is so much more hostile
now than it has been at any point
in the post-war period. Immigration has been used as a tool by
most of the political parties, and
this has created fear. Now people
are uncertain and afraid they will
be a target. This creates an environment where people feel unwelcome. This is not the kind of community we want.
“There’s the problem of rogue
solicitors, who take a lot of
money from migrants regardless
of whether they’re actually going
to help them with their immigration status. People are concerned
about the legality of practices such
as stop and search.
“These are all issues we have
dealt with in previous workshops,
and which the support centre will
continue to provide advice on.”
Father Salvador Telen, the vicar
of St Saviour’s and member of the
group, is delighted that his church
is the venue for the support centre.
He said: “A lot of people are scared
because they feel they do not know
where to turn to ask for help.
“When people come here they
feel that it’s a confidential and welcoming place where they can talk
about the issues they face, get one-
Members of the new migrants’ support centre Credit: Mark Burton
to-one support, and share their experiences with others.”
Mariko Hayashi – a founding
member of the group – found
taking part in its activities helped
her to feel more connected to her
local community.
She said: “As a migrant myself
from Japan, I know how overwhelming it can be for migrants,
even something like dealing with
paperwork, which always seems to
be written in the most complicated language. That’s why projects
like this can make a big difference
to the way migrants feel.”
While the political discourse
around migration is overwhelmingly negative and migrants continue
to face huge challenges, the work of
the Walthamstow Migrants’ Action
Group shows that, by bringing
people together, a lot can be done
to reduce the stress, anxiety and
isolation faced by migrants, and
at the same time, strengthen community relationships for migrants
and non-migrants alike.
Walthamstow Migrants’ Support Centre
is open 10am-1pm every Tuesday at
Saint Saviour’s Church, 210 Markhouse
Road, E17 8EP.
Schools expand as pupil numbers soar
Exciting times for the Echo
elcome to issue
seven of Waltham
Forest Echo. It’s
a time of change
and excitement for the Echo. As
you may have noticed, we’ve begun
our second year of publication
with a redesign, as explained by
Jonathan Duncan above. We hope
you like it.
The redesign is the first stage
in a bigger process of change.
Having started as a quarterly publication last year and moved to
bi-monthly in January, as of No-
by Ed Swan
es, we’re keen to explain what this
means for local people but also to
offer some ideas about what can
be done to improve the situation.
Thanks for reading. Please get
in touch to tell us what you think
of our redesign and let us know
what you thinking we should be
covering in future issues.
ith many London
boroughs facing
major shortages
for primary school
places because of rapid population
growth and under-investment, the
recent announcement that three
local schools are to receive a multimillion-pound expansion has been
widely welcomed.
Waltham Forest Council has appointed Willmott Dixon Construction Ltd with a contract worth
£12.5million to expand Jenny
Hammond Primary School in
Worsley Street, Leytonstone; Mayville Primary School in Lincoln
Street, Leytonstone; and Ching-
ford Hall Primary Academy in
Burnside Avenue, Chingford.
Jenny Hammond will receive
£5.25m, Mayville £3.7m, and
Chingford Hall Primary £3.6m.
When complete each expanded school will have an extra
210 places – a new class for every
year group.
The move comes two years after
research suggested Waltham Forest
would have 25 percent more children than it could provide a place
for by 2016.
Local teachers say schools are
already struggling to cope with
ever-rising numbers. Temporary
buildings have been used and
in some cases playground space
has been reduced to allow
for expansion.
Many children have to find places
far outside their catchment area
contributing to fears of increased
absence and lateness particularly
if they have a sibling at another
school across the borough.
Councillor Mark Rusling, the
council’s cabinet member for children and young people, said: “London’s fast-rising population is inevitably putting more pressure on
school places, and local authorities have a statutory obligation to
provide sufficient places within
their areas.
“The government has made it
more difficult for us to do that,
by banning us from opening new
schools. Despite these restrictions
we’re committed to providing what
our parents want - places at local
schools that can provide their child
with an outstanding education.”
Since the Education Act introduced in 2011, all newly-built
state schools must be either acadamies or free schools operated
independently from the council.
There are also incentives for
existing state schools to convert to
academy status.
As a result, in Waltham Forest
the number of academies has risen
from just one to 22, nearly one in
every three of the borough’s state
schools. Chingford Hall, one of
the three primary schools being
expanded, converted to academy
status in 2012.
Cllr Rusling said: “Proposals
for new extensions and alterations
have been developed in consulta-
tion with the schools, to enable
each of them to offer an additional 210 places.
“Work has already started, with
minor adaptations taking place in
the summer holidays so that an additional reception class can be admitted this September.
“And, this building work is
supplemented by proposals to
provide additional furniture and
ICT equipment at each school.”
Having recently celebrated the
A-Level success of record numbers
of Waltham Forest students –
1,795, an increase of 38 per cent
compared to 2013/14 – it is essential that those children about to
embark on their school careers this
September are given the same opportunities for academic success.
4
No 7 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2015 WALTHAM FOREST ECHO
Event
Formed in 2011, the fifth annual Stow
Fest is the biggest yet P . 11
NEWS
5
WALTHAM FOREST ECHO SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2015 No 7
FEATURES
Making a beefriendly meadow
by Diana Korchien and Ann Williams
W
Community Transport Waltham Forest’s elderly shopping service is one of those under threat of closure
Voluntary sector in ‘dire situation’
by James Cracknell
V
oluntar y groups
in Waltham Forest
that receive money
from the council are
nervously awaiting the outcome
of a town hall spending review.
Waltham Forest Council claims
it must reduce its budget by
£45million by 2018 and began a
voluntary and community sector
(VCS) service review in March
this year.
The results of this review are
expected by the end of September – making for a nervous wait
by those charities and not-forprofit services that rely on council
funding to survive.
Voluntary Action Waltham
Forest acts as a voice for the
sector and its general manager
Barbara Bishop told the Echo
about the challenges being faced.
She said: “Local authorities are
suffering massive cuts from government. Waltham Forest has to
make savings of £45million, so it
has to look somewhere to make
those savings and it is inevitable
that there is a knock-on effect
on the voluntary and community sector.
“Voluntary Action, along
with the wider sector are now
looking at additional ways of
raising money so that we aren’t
fully reliant on the local authority.
“Although there are some areas
of service delivery, for example in
health and social care, that will
still require substantial support
from statutory agencies, some
organisations are looking at becoming social enterprises as well
as approaching external funders.
“While we are all naturally
concerned, it has also made us
look at our own funding and find
new ways to raise money.”
Helen Tredoux is chairman
of Voluntary Action and also
the director of Waltham Forest
Community Transport, a service
that has already been told it will
lose a £27,000 council grant from
next year.
“Our elderly shopping service
will be cut,” Helen said. “We
have about 65 regular users and
200 members.
“We pick them up and take
them shopping and drive them
home again, it helps them live independently at home for longer.
“We did brace ourselves for
massive cuts three or four years
ago, but the loss will be huge.
The council has been very cagey
about what is in its review, some
groups don’t know if they will be
funded beyond September.
“It is a dire situation.”
“
ork is underway
to turn a large
open space in
Chingford into a
bee-friendly meadow sown with
native wildflowers.
Secluded by woodland, Pimp
Hall Nature Reserve in Kings
Road is one of the brightest
gems in Waltham Forest’s crown.
It already boasts a 16th-century dovecote, pond, and wetland
area. Now, as part of a project
to increase biodiversity across
the reserve, as area rife with
common weeds, nettle, deep-rooted comfrey, wild carrot and layers
of litter, is being transformed into
a wildflower meadow.
The catch-all solution of
choice to clear sites such as this
is usually the application of the
herbicide glyphosate, widely used
worldwide for over 40 years, but
now scientifically proven to have
We braced ourselves
for massive cuts, but the
loss will be huge
Visit: www.pimphallpark.weebly.com
Advertisement
”
The Waltham Forest branch of
charity Age UK is another group
left in limbo. It plans to hold a
fundraising day on 3rd October
to help prevent the closure of its
adult exercise classes, and has
launched a petition demanding
the council continue funding the
£30,000 the programme costs to
run each year.
Consultants Rocket Science
have been undertaking the VCS
service review on behalf of the
council. Councillor Liaquat Ali,
cabinet member for community safety and cohesion, said:
“The voluntary and community sector is extremely important
and plays a vital role across
Waltham Forest.
“The council is conducting
a review of its relationship with
the voluntary sector to look
at how we can create capacity
and opportunity in the sector
going forward.
“Our voluntary sector partners
have been engaged in the review
process, and we look forward to
discussing the outcome of the
review with them later this year.”
a detrimental effect on the foraging and eating abilities of the bee
population.
Knowing this, Green Party
member Mick Holloway pointed
out to Waltham Forest Council’s
environment and regeneration
department that exposing bees to
glyphosate at Pimp Hall would
bring about the reverse of what
they were hoping to achieve.
Happily, they listened, and
agreed to explore the eco-friendly but more labour-intensive
method of hand-digging the site.
Thanks to the co-operation of
the council, teams of volunteers
have been busy clearing the roots
and turning the soil, in preparation for sowing.
Pimp Hall Nature Reserve is
a truly magical site and the wildflower meadow will add to its
charm and beauty, as well as providing educational facilities.
•
•
A new mural depicting Hitchcock’s film The Birds on Leytonstone High Road
Demands to improve end of life care
by James Cracknell
Mosaic at Leytonstone tube station
Leytonstone’s most famous
son leaves his mark
by Ed Swan
A
lfred Hitchcock reportedly said of his early life
in East London: “The
sky was always grey, the
rain was grey, the mud was grey,
and I was grey.”
But there’s no dispute that the influence of London was central to
his style of filmmaking, and several
of his films, such as The Lodger: A
Story of the London Fog and Frenzy
convey a sense of deep affection, in
particular a respect for the tradition
of dark and sinister history and
urban legends that have long been
part of London’s popular narrative.
As a native of Leytonstone,
Hitchcock had his earliest experiences in and around what is now the
borough of Waltham Forest. There
are several hidden ways in which
the effects of the area on his upbringing can be found in his films,
just as there remain clues to the
identity of one of Waltham Forest’s most famous sons imprinted
on the local area.
Hitchcock was born in Leytonstone in 1899, the youngest of three
sons in a working-class Anglo-Irish
family. He was born at 517 High
Road Leytonstone in the house
above his father’s grocery shop.
The place where the house stood
is now a petrol station.
By the time of his birth, the area
had already largely been trans-
formed from a rural Essex town to
an industrial and residential suburb
by the arrival of the Eastern Counties Railway at what is now Leytonstone tube station in 1856, which
linked the area to central London.
The young Hitchcock was said
to have been fascinated with the
transport system, memorising
every station on the route by the
age of eight. Fans will know that
transport and stations are a recurring motif in many of his films,
with his famous director’s cameos
often involving him getting on or
off different forms of transport.
A defining moment in the young
Hitchcock’s life took place at
Harrow Road police station which
once stood near the intersection of
Harrow Road and High Road Leytonstone, a site which is now occupied by a branch of Costcutter.
When he was five years old,
Hitchcock’s father sent his son to
the station with a note requesting
that he be locked up there for five
minutes because of his bad behaviour. Harsh and authoritarian
police actions and wrongful accusations would be another recurring motif in his films. In the words
of the director himself: “I’m not
against the police, I’m just afraid
of them.”
Perhaps the most striking testimony to the director is the series of
17 mosaics in the underpass at Leytonstone station, commissioned by
the council to celebrate the centenary of Hitchcock’s birth. The
mosaics feature scenes from his
best-known and best-loved films
including Vertigo, Psycho and The
Wrong Man, as well as scenes from
his life. The council also commissioned the large mural depicting The Birds opposite the site of
Hitchcock’s birth at the corner
of High Road Leytonstone and
Lynn Road.
Nearby, the Sir Alfred Hitchcock
pub and hotel on Whipps Cross
Road stands imposingly over a
corner of Epping Forest and embodies a slightly bleak grandeur
that also characterises some of
his films.
Inside, photos and memorabilia from his films make it an atmospheric place to meditate on the
local legacy of the director.
It was once said of Hitchcock:
“Like Freud, he diagnosed the discontents that chafe and rankle
beneath the decorum of civilisation. Like Picasso or Dali, he registered the phenomenological threat
of an abruptly modernised world”.
By going back to his roots in Leytonstone, we can still imagine how
he first experienced these discontents of civilisation and newly
modernised world.
B
etter hospice provision
and community support
is needed for people in
Waltham Forest at the
end of their lives, a national charity
has warned.
The National Council for Palliative Care called for local health
bosses to do more to help those
with serious and terminal illnesses
– and reduce the high rate of hospital deaths in the borough.
In Waltham Forest 66.8 percent
of people die in hospital, rather
than at home or in a hospice where
most say they would rather end
their lives.
This is the highest rate of hospital deaths in the country, according
to Public Health England, with a
national average of just under 50
percent.
Claire Henry, chief executive of
the National Council for Palliative
Care, as well as the Dying Matters
Coalition, said: “Given the choice,
just five per cent of people nationally say that they would want to die
in hospital, which is why it’s so concerning that Waltham Forest has
such a high proportion of deaths
in hospital.
“This appears to be part of a
wider issue for East London, with
Newham, Redbridge and Barking
and Dagenham having the next
highest rates of hospital deaths in
the country and disproportionately few people dying at home or in
a hospice.
“There are likely to be a variety
of reasons behind this, including
levels of hospice provision and the
availability of community support,
and we very much hope that understanding why this is happening
and what can be done about it is a
priority for clinical commissioning
groups and other local partners.”
Waltham Forest Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), the
organisation responsible for administering NHS services in the
borough, says it is aware of the
problem and is working to give
people more choice at the end of
their lives.
A spokesperson said: “Increasing choice around end of life care
is a priority for NHS Waltham
Forest CCG.
“
This appears to be a wider
issue for East London
”
“Working with our health and social
care partners, local people now have
more choice and support so that
they can choose to die at home,
in a hospice, in a care home or in
hospital.
“The latest statistics on where
people in Waltham Forest die are
from 2011 to 2013, so we cannot be
sure of what has happened more
recently. However, we know that
one of the reasons it Waltham
Forest has a higher rate than other
parts of the country because our
local hospital, Whipps Cross, has
a palliative care ward that is designed to support people at the end
of their lives.”
People in Waltham Forest who
have had experiences with loved
ones being cared for during the
end of their lives are being asked
to contact the CCG to share their
experience and help shape
services in the future.
Visit: www.walthamforestccg.nhs.
uk/getinvolved
6
No 7 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2015 WALTHAM FOREST ECHO
7
WALTHAM FOREST ECHO AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015 No 7
INTERVIEW
Going green in Waltham Forest
Reporter James Cracknell meets some of the people working to help make the borough greener
“
There’s not one
big solution, there’s
thousands of small
solutions
”
Transition Leytonstone
Church Lane Community Garden,
Harold Road, open Tuesdays
11am-4pm, Saturdays 10am-4pm
W: www.transitionleytonstone.org.uk
E: info@transitionleytonstone.org.uk
Church Lane Community Garden
C
oncealed by a footbridge
and a railway line in
Leytonstone is a green
oasis producing nearly
every fruit or vegetable you could
wish to eat.
Amid the rumbling and screeching of the adjacent Central Line
grows sweetcorn, squash, spring
onion, tomatoes, potatoes, peas,
beans, callaloo, gooseberries, kale,
pak choi, broccoli, beetroot, carrots,
radishes, plums, apples, apricots,
mint, sage, rosemary, lime, rhubarb
and courgettes. To name a few.
This is the Church Lane Community Garden, run by a group
of volunteers from Transition Leytonstone.
Using a derelict triangle of land
owned by Waltham Forest Council,
over three years they have created
a thriving green space that can be
used to help educate and inspire
local people. It is open to the public
every Tuesday and Saturday, and if
you’re lucky there’ll be some fresh
produce you can take home.
There are regular workshops to
attend and there’s usually a project
or two you can get involved with.
Rain water is harvested and reused,
while a solar dryer helps preserve the
garden’s produce.
When I visited, garden co-ordinator Shannon Thaden and volunteer
Phil Mason showed me around - and
let me sample the delicious organic
scrumpy they’d made using the garden’s cider press.
“Because it is quite small it is
not going to produce a substantial
amount of food,” said Shannon,
“but as an education space and
Shannon Thaden (left) and Phil Mason (right) at Church Lane Community Garden
something to inspire people to grow
food and change the way people
shop it is a great way to do it.
“People in London don’t often
have the space to grow their own
food now but there are many benefits to doing it.
“It improves public health but also
it is a social resource. People who are
new to the neighbourhood can meet
people through the garden.”
The Church Lane Community
Garden is a centre of activity for
Transition Leytonstone, a green
group aiming to help the community
become self-reliant and sustainable
- a transition away from fossil fuels.
It is part of the Transition
Network and one of 479 such initiatives around the world that have
all sprung up over the past decade.
Phil explained more. He said:
“The Transition movement is
summed up by the mantra ‘think
global act local’.
“A lot of the things you can do
to mitigate your carbon footprint,
which has a global impact, are on
the local level.
“As a Transition Town we have
helped people insulate their homes,
support the local economy, support
local growers, and here we grow
food ourselves.
“If there are people who have
ideas on localising food and being
more efficient and helping with the
transition to a more sustainable
community they are very welcome
to join us.
“A lot of people ignore the issues
around sustainability because they
think there is nothing they can
do about it, but there are a lot of
things that can be done and we are
showing that.
“There isn’t one big solution to
it all, there are thousands of small
solutions.”
Transition Leytonstone is just one
of several successful green groups in
the borough. While they might be
run separately, many are interconnected and share resources.
A weekly food stall in Leytonstone is run jointly by Transition
Leytonstone and Organiclea, a community food project based at Hawkwood Nursery in Chingford. The
stall sells organic fruit and veg grown
at the nursery, by other local growers
in the borough, or by farmers dotted
around the English countryside.
Volunteer Rosemary Warrington
helps out at the stall on Saturdays,
outside Matalan in the High Road.
She said: “The supplies for the stalls
all come from organic growers. One
function is to publicise our veg box
scheme where we deliver food to
people’s doors each week.”
You might have already seen Organiclea delivering veg boxes in its
striking mode of transport - an old
milk float using a battery charged
by solar panels.
Rosemary adds: “There’s also a
crop share scheme for local growers
who have got an excess amount of
produce to swap for someone else’s.”
The Leytonstone stall is one of
two run by Organiclea, the other’s
in Walthamstow outside the Hornbeam Centre, a hub for community
groups in Waltham Forest.
Among the local organisations that use the centre for meetings and activities are Waltham
Forest Friends of the Earth, Forest
Recycling Project, Waltham
Forest Cycling Campaign, as well
as Organiclea.
There’s also a vegetarian cafe
and a series of events that includes
live music and skills workshops.
One of Hornbeam’s directors,
Brian Kelly, told me how it came to
play such a pivotal role. “It started
as a fire-damaged building,” he
said. “It was taken on around 25
years ago and reopened as an environmental centre and cafe.
“In the last five or six years it has
become much more active and the
cafe is very busy. The hope is that
Hornbeam can be used as a space
for groups to connect and move
forward. Most of them have an environmental focus.
“We also want to run our own
projects. We are currently developing
something around low-cost living.”
Whether it’s Transition Leytonstone, Organiclea, the Hornbeam, or any of the other community organisations in the borough,
there’s plenty going on in Waltham
Forest to keep any green-fingered,
or green-minded, resident happy.
Chris Heaton in the Organiclea milk float
OrganicLea
Organic fruit and veg stalls
every Saturday 10.30am-3pm at
Hornbeam Centre and at 829 High
Road Leytonstone
W: www.organiclea.org.uk
E: info@organiclea.org.uk
Hornbeam Centre
Community cafe, 458 Hoe Street,
open 10am-5pm Tuesday to Sunday
(11.30am on Thursdays)
W: www.hornbeam.org.uk
E: info@hornbeam.org.uk
Forest Recycling Project
Recycling centre and reclaimed
paint shop, 2C Bakers Avenue,
open Tuesday to Friday 10am-4pm,
Saturday 10am-2pm
W: www.frponline.org.uk
E: info@frponline.org.uk
Waltham Forest Lets
A local exchange trading system,
meetings held at Hornbeam Centre
every last Saturday of the month
at 10.30am
W: www.wflets.org
E: info.wflets@gmail.com
Waltham Forest Cycling Campaign
Campaign for better cycling facilities
in the borough, meetings held at
Hornbeam Centre every fourth
Tuesday of the month at 8pm
W: www.wfcycling.org.uk
E: contact@wfcycling.org.uk
Greenpeace Waltham Forest
Local network of the international
campaign group Greenpeace,
meetings held every second
Wednesday of the month at Ye Olde
Rose & Crown pub, 55 Hoe Street,
at 7.30pm
W: www.greenwire.greenpeace.org/
uk/en-gb/groups/waltham-forestgreenpeace
Waltham Forest Friends Of
The Earth
Local branch of the environmental
campaign group, meetings held
every third Tuesday of the month
at Le Delice cafe, 117 Hoe Street,
at 8pm
Tel: 0203 397 9797 / Web: stowbrothers.com
Email: hello@stowbrothers.com / Twitter: @stowbrothers
236 Hoe Street, Walthamstow E17 3AY
8
No 7 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015 WALTHAM FOREST ECHO
9
WALTHAM FOREST ECHO AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015 No 7
Brettenham Road,
Walthamstow
Brettenham
Road, Walthamstow
O.I.E.O £400,000
O.I.E.OLeasehold
£400,000 Leasehold
First floor Ex Warner
First floor Ex Warner
Castleton Road,
Walthamstow
Castleton
Road, Walthamstow
O.I.E.O £500,000
O.I.E.OFreehold
£500,000 Freehold
Four bed Victorian
terraced
Four bed
Victorian terraced
Borwick Avenue
Borwick Avenue
£1,400 PCM £1,400 PCM
Two bed apartment
conversion
Two bed
apartment conversion
Bunyan Road, Bunyan
Walthamstow
Road, Walthamstow
£1,525 PCM £1,525 PCM
Two bed mid terrace
Two bed mid terrace
Dawlish Road,Dawlish
Walthamstow
Road, Walthamstow
O.I.E.O £475,000
Freehold
O.I.E.O
£475,000 Freehold
Two bed Victorian
terraced
Two bed
Victorian terraced
Latchingdon Court,
Walthamstow
Latchingdon
Court, Walthamstow
O.I.E.O £360,000
Leasehold
O.I.E.O
£360,000 Leasehold
Two bed penthouse
apartment
Two bed
penthouse apartment
Carisbrooke Road,
Walthamstow
Carisbrooke
Road, Walthamstow
£ 2,500 PCM£ 2,500 PCM
Four bed Victorian
terrace
Four bed
Victorian terrace
Exeter Road, Walthamstow
Exeter Road, Walthamstow
£1,175 PCM £1,175 PCM
One bed apartment
conversion
One bed
apartment conversion
Manor Road, Walthamstow
Manor Road, Walthamstow
O.I.E.O £450,000
Freehold
O.I.E.O
£450,000 Freehold
Three bed midThree
terrace
bed mid terrace
Ringwood Road,
Walthamstow
Ringwood
Road, Walthamstow
O.I.E.O £375,000
Leasehold
O.I.E.O £375,000 Leasehold
Two bed Victorian
conversion
Two bed
Victorian conversion
Fleeming Road,
Walthamstow
Fleeming
Road, Walthamstow
£1,150 PCM £1,150 PCM
One bed apartmentbuilt Purpose built
One bedPurpose
apartment-
Northbank Road
Northbank Road
£2,100 PCM £2,100 PCM
Four bed semi-detached
Four bed semi-detached
Tel: 0203 397Tel:
9797
/ Web:
0203
397stowbrothers.com
9797 / Web: stowbrothers.com
Email: hello@stowbrothers.com
/
Twitter:
@stowbrothers
Email: hello@stowbrothers.com
/ Twitter: @stowbrothers
236 Hoe Street,
Walthamstow
E17 3AY
236
Hoe Street, Walthamstow
E17 3AY
Tel: 0203 397Tel:
9797
/ Web:
0203
397stowbrothers.com
9797 / Web: stowbrothers.com
Email: hello@stowbrothers.com
/
Twitter:
@stowbrothers
Email: hello@stowbrothers.com
/ Twitter: @stowbrothers
236 Hoe Street,
Walthamstow
E17 3AY
236
Hoe Street, Walthamstow
E17 3AY
10
No 7 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015 WALTHAM FOREST ECHO
11
WALTHAM FOREST ECHO SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2015 No 7
Feature
Shelly Berry examines how cuts to the
welfare state are affecting people P . 12
EVENTS
The show must go on
Family fun in
the village
Leytonstone Festival continues despite loss of funding
by Andy Mirror
by Jane Duran
W
hen the Leytonstone Festival trustees meet to give
out the boxes of
printed programmes this usually
signals that, for them, most of the
hard work is done.
This year it was the day they
learned that the hard work was
about to get much harder. Funding
from Waltham Forest Council,
which had been the mainstay for
many years, had been refused.
This had a knock-on effect
of losing other outside funding,
leaving organisers trying to deliver
a £25,000 festival on just £6,500
and just one week to go before the
festival launch.
Every artist and organiser
taking part was contacted and
told payment of any kind was
extremely unlikely and, with a
handful of exceptions, all agreed
that “the show must go on”.
And what a festival it was.
From the samba parade, which
caused quite a stir, to the What’s
Cookin’ picnic on the final Sunday,
there were over 120 events across
19 days, most of them completely free.
There was music of every kind
alongside a variety of other cultur-
al activity – comedy, film, drama,
children’s activities, poetry, dance,
food events, arts and crafts, talks,
walks and culture from across the
world.
New events in 2015 included
Jumble Trail, a fantastic event
which encourages re-use and recycling and which, according to
the organiser, “brings people together, helps people meet their
neighbours and brings community to life”.
In all, 120 local residents signed
up for stalls. Hitchcock’s Home
also proved a great success –
three nights celebrating Alfred
Hitchcock, the Leytonstone-born
master of suspense, in the churchyard of St John’s. A different film
was screened each night and every
night was a sell-out.
One of the most exciting things
about the festival is that we see
some brand new work getting its
first ever public performance.
For 2015 we had A Leytonstone Suite, a classical suite
for piano and cello; a preview
of a new musical work, The
Secret, a Leytonstone based
story written by local performers; and the premiere performance by Poetic Justice of Scam-
W
Dancers performing outside Leytonstone tube station
polo, an Italian play, in its first
ever English translation.
All the Festival favourites were
there too including the St John’s
Tower Tours and concerts, the
Woodhouse Players, the pop-up
cinema, playreading group, and
charity fundraisers.
Leytonstone festival is run
entirely by volunteers and has a
legacy that benefits local people
way beyond the few hectic days
in July that it runs.
Local groups and charities use
the festival to promote themselves
and their activities, it showcas-
es local talent and promotes our
area, people can learn new skills
by being one of the volunteer
team, and local businesses get
a boost.
The trustees would like to thank
all the venues, all the artists and
particularly the generous people
of Waltham Forest who dug deep
in their pockets to help make up
for the shortfall in funding.
Visit: www.leytonstonefestival.org.uk
to make a donation
Fifth annual Stow Fest is biggest yet
N
Tel: 0203 397 9797 / Web: stowbrothers.com
Email: hello@stowbrothers.com / Twitter: @stowbrothers
236 Hoe Street, Walthamstow E17 3AY
‘This is Cleo’ performs at last year’s Stow Festival Credit: Pamela Hutchinson
early five years ago
a few friends got
together to discuss
how best to harness
Walthamstow’s thriving music
scene and decided the town needed
an event to showcase its talent.
This is how Stow Festival was
born.Taking place over a long
weekend in September, the first
event in 2011 featured 35 acts performing over four days at various
venues in Walthamstow. In 2015,
the number of performers has
trebled - to more than 100.
Nick Bason, who is part of the
management team for the event,
said: “The festival has really found
a place in the heart of the community in Walthamstow. Stow has
something for everyone, and every
event is different.
“This year we have an original electro composition at the
William Morris Gallery called
Arsenic Mines and a range
of world music with Walthamstow Acoustic Massive in the
town square.
“At Ye Olde Rose and Crown
and the Wild Card Brewery we
have some bigger acts such as Jim
Jones & The Righteous Mind,
Attila the Stockbroker, Sisteray
and Cherry White.
“We also have singer/songwriters, jazz, metal, hip-hop... anything you fancy.”
As well as a vast range of performances, this year’s Stow Festival will feature a walking tour
which will take in the musical
history of Walthamstow. Former
Hacienda DJ Dave Haslam will
althamstow Village
Festival returns on
19th September
for a day of com-
munity fun.
The free festival features live
music, arts and crafts, food stalls,
and family fun including face
painting and a bouncy castle.
Children’s entertainment starts
in the Vestry Road playground
at 12pm courtesy of ‘Tumble in
the Jungle’ and all their cuddly
jungle friends who will be singing
on stage.
It is great to have the festival
back again as for 15 years it had
not been running. It was revived
last year by local charity Waltham
Forest Community Hub, formerly known as The Asian Centre.
The aim was to bring the community together and raise the
profile of Walthamstow Village
as a beautiful untouched part of
the borough.
Last year’s festival was a huge
success as everyone came together and showed superb community spirit.
Monwara Ali, from Waltham
Forest Community Hub, has really
been the driving force in the festival and we are very pleased she
decided to do it again this year.
by James Wood
give a talk at Waterstones, while
musical workshops will be run
by Waltham Forest Community
Choir and Forest Philharmonic
Orchestra.
Stow Festival’s founder, Emma
Betts, will manage proceedings
with help from Nick, DJ Kat Richmond, and Julian Marzsalek, guitarist in The November Five who
are on the line-up.
“Whatever your musical
taste,” said Nick, “great music
and a wonderful atmosphere
make Stow Festival the place to
be in September.”
Stow Festival 2015 takes place on 17,
18, 19 and 20th September.
Visit: www.stowfestival.com to find
out more
12
No 7 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2015 WALTHAM FOREST ECHO
13
WALTHAM FOREST ECHO SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2015 No 7
Comment
Playwright Deborah Nash on the return
of Walthamstow Mysteries P . 16
FEATURES
FEATURES
Living on welfare in Waltham Forest
Design shop backs new artists
Writer Shelly Berry examines how cuts to the welfare state are affecting people in the borough, and talks to
some who have seen these impacts first hand
The Jobcentre Plus in Westbury Road, Walthamstow
T
he last five years have
been tough, especially for those on a low
income – or no income
at all.
The coalition government
made significant changes to
the welfare system, introducing universal credits and replacing council tax benefit with
local schemes.
Following its victory in the
general election this year, the
Conservative Party has taken
this further, pledging to freeze
working age welfare benefits for
four years, introducing a benefits
ceiling of £23,000 per London
household, capping child tax
credit to a family’s first two children, limiting universal credits to
six months for younger people
and introducing market rate rents
for people in social housing on a
higher income.
For many people, these are
just facts and figures that have
no real meaning. But for others
across the borough, these changes
will hit hard. While a lot of
people bemoan the gentrification of Waltham Forest, a 2013
report named it the sixth most
deprived London borough and
the 15th most deprived in the
entire country.
The same report showed
Waltham Forest’s economy was
the smallest in the capital and,
although unemployment reduced
since then, the Office for National
Statistics (ONS) states that 11.4
percent of working-age people
are unemployed, compared to
A pew and a pint
C
hurches and pubs
don’t make for an
obvious union but
that was exactly the
pairing seen in Walthamstow
this summer.
For one weekend, St Barnabas
Church in Lansdowne Road converted its Stafford Hall into ‘The
St Barnabas Arms’.
The pop-up pub was the
brainchild of the church’s
vicar, Canon Steven Saxby, as
he sought to raise money for a
restoration project.
He said: “Pop-ups are becoming increasingly popular in E17
and this was one way for us to
connect with the changing demographic of the neighbourhood, raise the profile of the
building, and raise some funds
to smarten it up.”
With beer provided by
Walthamstow’s Wild Card
Brewery, Greek street food, and
live music, the St Barnabas Arms
helped raise £1,500 toward the
church and its restoration of
Stafford Hall.
8.9 percent in London and 7.8
percent across the country.
According to the London
poverty profile, 39 percent of
families claim tax credits to
make ends meet, compared to
31 percent across London. This
is particularly worrying as, three
years ago, 31 percent of children
in Waltham Forest were reportedly living below the poverty line.
Sam, a support worker from
Walthamstow, works with families who are feeling the pinch.
“I’m working with one single
parent with four children who
will see her benefits go down,”
he says.
“They are already struggling to
manage. Her relationship broke
down and she’s in this situation
through no fault of her own. She
can’t go back to work because
she has to look after her youngest children.”
It isn’t just people with families
who are facing tough times. According to ONS, in 2012/13 seven
percent of adults in Waltham
Forest claimed incapacity benefits. This has now been replaced
by the Employment Support Allowance (ESA), but those entitled to it are finding it harder to
make a claim and many have been
ordered to look for work despite
recognised health problems.
Lauren, a mental health worker
from the borough, has seen the
effects of this first hand.“There
are so many hurdles now,” she
said.
“People have to fill in a form
about 100 pages long and detail
their entire history. A lot are then
told they’re not entitled as they
don’t have a disability or illness.
“You don’t say that to someone
who’s depressed and suicidal.
We’re supposed to be supporting people to get their lives back
together and these attitudes about
mental health don’t help.”
Anthony, who lives in Walthamstow and is currently claiming
ESA, is nervous about having his
benefits stopped.
“I’m worried they will try to
push me back into work before
I am ready,” he said. “If you resist
you’re told you don’t want to get
better.
“I do want to get better and
do this and that to help make it
happen. My mate works but, after
he has paid his rent, people on
JSA [Jobseekers Allowance] are
better off than him.
“I don’t want to sound like a
bum, but I need enough money.”
Sam shares Anthony’s unease
about labels used to describe
claimants. He said: “One of
my biggest concerns is how the
reforms have been marketed.
“For example, the media still
describes people out of work as
‘feckless’.”
Lauren has been on the receiving end of these preconceptions.
She said: “I was on JSA in November and December last year
and it was the most depressing
experience of my life.
“At the Jobcentre there were
cameras and security guards
everywhere and my advisor
wouldn’t even make eye contact with me. We were treated
like criminals.”
While most people agree something needs to be done to reduce
the number of people who rely on
welfare benefits, questions need to
be asked about how the current
government is going about it.
“Cut, cut, cut, is not the right
approach,” argues Sam. “There’s
no support to get people back
into work, and that is what we
need to be investing in, along with
out-of-school activities to allow
poorer children to socialise and
develop skills in order to achieve
in the future.”
A new welfare reform bill,
making even further cuts to state
benefits, was voted through to its
next stage of reading by the House
of Commons in July. For residents
in Waltham Forest already struggling to keep their heads above
water, it means things could get
even worse.
All names in this article were changed
as the people interviewed did not
wish to publicly identify themselves.
You can follow writer Shelly Berry on
Twitter: @ShellyBerryUK.
by James Cracknell
The building is an iron-hut
structure purchased and moved
from Battersea in 1901 and used
as a church while St Barnabas
itself was under construction.
It then served as the church
hall until 1927, until the Foster
Hall was built next door, and
was then used as a special school
by the local council.
For the last 45 years it has been
the home of a film club. Now
the church is seeking to make
more use of the building for its
increased community activities.
The St Barnabas Arms and the volunteers who helped create it
Kate Whitfield (left) and Laura Lea (right)
A
n entrepreneur has made
it her mission to help
discover and promote
emerging artists.
Borough resident Laura Lea
opened a temporary design shop
next to Leytonstone tube station
this summer and says she is determined that local creativity is supported and allowed to flourish.
The site, formerly occupied
by Boots, was made available
by Transport for London and
Waltham Forest Council for
viable ‘pop-up’ business concepts,
as part of a drive to make more
creative use of the borough’s
unused spaces.
Laura knew her experience of
running a temporary boutique in
Dig for fitness
I
’m a big fan of environmental charity The Conservation Volunteers’ award-winning Green Gym scheme.
As a regular at the Lloyd Park
session, I can verify that it really
does tick all the boxes.
Want a bit of exercise but find
yourself breaking out into a cold
sweat at the mere thought of a
treadmill? Looking to help the
environment but want to contribute to the local community
too? Keen to meet new people
and learn new skills? Then look
no further.
And if you don’t live in Walthamstow, then I have good news,
because the second Green Gym
in the borough has just kicked off
at Ridgeway and Mansfield parks
in Chingford.
Held every Tuesday from
10.45am until 2pm, each session
starts with a warm up and ends
with a cool down, with plenty
of activity in-between to suit all
abilities, from tree planting to
improving footpaths.
Tower Hamlets and an exhibition
at the Dreamspace gallery near
Old Street could help her submit
a strong application.
The bid was successful, and
by regularly attending arts fairs
across London to find products
which inspire her, Laura carefully selected 19 artists to sell their
work at the pop-up boutique for
six weeks, ending on 31st August.
A vast array of lighting, kitchenware and signage went on offer, as
well as print designs and original
art. About 40 percent of of it was
made exclusively for the project.
Ensuring artists get a fair price
for their work is important to
Laura. “I’m almost religious about
making sure people get what they
deserve,” she said.
“One of the reasons I embarked
on this business to begin with
was that a lot of my friends
weren’t getting a good deal, they
were being taken advantage of
and they weren’t being given
proper representation.
“It was the fact that they were
really struggling to get out there
and sell what I could see were
by James Wood
“
I’m almost religious
about making sure
people get what they
deserve
”
really amazing products that
inspired me to start out on
this road.”
The story behind the products
also matters greatly to Laura and
she encourages people to find
out about them before buying
anything.
“This is based on a philosophy
of telling a story,” she said. “It’s
about connecting the client with
the artist.
“When people come into the
store, they learn about where the
thing that they’re buying has come
from and who has made it.
“I look to develop my relationships with artists and designers
and I’m very invested in what
they’re doing.”
Visit: www.lauraleadesign.com to find
out more
The opening of the pop-up shop in Leytonstone
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For more information
Email: gg-waltham-forest@btcv.org.uk or
Visit: www.tcv.org.uk
14
No 7 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2015 WALTHAM FOREST ECHO
Recipe
A meal to make with kids, Katie
Robinson’s sweetcorn soup P . 16
POETRY
Jon Stone and Abigail Parry
D
id you know that the
current Young Poet
Laureate is from
Walthamstow?
Aisling Fahey, 22, has spent the
last year working with primary
school students and pensioners,
in writing groups and on building sites, performing alongside UK
Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy
and others.
She said of the experience: “I’ve
loved being able to connect with
such a wide variety of communities in London, helping people
attending Connaught School for
Girls, Leytonstone, aged 12 to
15, and are just as surprising and
varied as in the last issue.
Could you be the next Young Poet
Laureate for London?
Spread the Word is on the hunt for
London’s next Young Poet Laureate.
The programme is open to applications from poets aged between 21
and 30. Six shortlisted poets will be
invited to take part in a week-long
residential workshop. The deadline
for applications is 7th October.
For more information visit:
www.londonlaureates.co.uk
Imagine a world...
Family Poem
Tayba Hussain
Zakiya Abbas
Imagine a world where there were no
fights where all humans had equal rights
Having a family that really cares about you,
Is an amazing gift that will last forever,
They’ll help you when you’re feeling quite blue,
Wherever, whenever,
Imagine a world where there were no wars
not only because they’re bad but they also
make others sad
Imagine a world without poverty where
everyone won the lottery
Imagine a world where everyone is treated
as an equal so that everyone’s life would
be peaceful
Imagine a world where everyone had
shelter because it would be better
Imagine a world where designer labels
didn’t define us because no-one could
make a fuss
Imagine a world where there was equal
education so it would make a stronger
nation
Imagine a world where there was no
racismand where there was no such thing
as terrorism
Imagine a world where there was no
such thing as slaves where nobody would
misbehave
Imagine a perfect world…
Families will be there no matter what,
Your memories will stay and remain,
There may be memories from the day you were
in your cot,
Or from the day you were first on a plane,
Families may have their ‘ups’ and their ‘downs’
But no matter what they’ll stay strong,
You might think you’re the family ‘clown’,
But, you never know you could be wrong,
Always remember how grateful you are,
Because your family is always there for you,
No matter where you live, near or far,
You all have each other, stuck together like glue.
LISTINGS
Upcoming
Search for Young Poet Laureate
from all over the capital discover how best to tell their stories
through poetry.”
Maybe some of Waltham Forest’s even younger writers will
one day follow in her footsteps?
Writing development agency
Spread the Word is looking to
appoint a new Young Poet Laureate for next year. Sadly, we editors
are a little too long in the tooth to
enter the contest, but it’s definitely time for the borough’s young
writers to step up to the plate!
This issue is the second of
our two-parter featuring poems
by local children. All the poems
printed here were written by pupils
15
WALTHAM FOREST ECHO SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2015 No 7
Shape Conversation Rap
Tamzin Ivie Grace Iyayi
Hey! I’m square,
I have 4 sides on me,
I’ve got attitude. Yeah,
All around me!
Excuse me
I disagree because I’m triangle
I’ve got 3 sides on me!
Now listen here, square
You’re like a weird smelly pear
Oh wait, you’re like a weird disease that
spreads everywhere!
How dare you triangle
I’ll tell my mum of you
Here she is,
The wonderful cu cube!
Miss triangle,
You’re like a wonky right angle,
So don’t talk about my son like that
You little 3-sided rat!
Don’t talk about my daughter like that,
I’m triangular based pyramid
You’re going to pay
For telling my daughter the words you say.
Hello, I’m circle and my cousin, sphere
We are to help this problem right here
Shapes, we’re great,
We’re all in maths,
Perfect mates, so don’t feel worried, and don’t feel sad
We are here, meant to be glad!
Apple Day
10th October 11am-4pm
Vestry House Museum, Vestry Road,
Walthamstow E17 9NH
Are you interested in market garden
scale vegetable growing and local food
enterprise? Come join us on a tour of
Hawkwood Plant Nursery to see and
hear about OrganicLea’s enterprise
work. Here at OrganicLea we grow
over £45k worth of vegetables a year
on 1.5 acres of land whilst running
successful food enterprises including
a veg box scheme, two weekly market
stalls and supplying 15 resaurants, cafes
and grocers. We also support Waltham
Forest growers to find small plots of
land and train them to grow to sell,
supplying produce to our outlets. Come
and find out more.
Free Entry
Visit: www.facebook.com/VestryHouse
Family Board Games
Saturday 10th October 11am-6pm
St Mary’s Welcome Centre,
8 Church End, Walthamstow E17 9R
Family board games day, hosted by
Echo17 Events. More than 80 games
available.What better way is there
to spend time with family and friends
than playing board games? We will
have some all-time favourites and
some games you may never have tried
before. There is something for everyone whether you are 4 or 104. Join
us for a fun filled session of board
games galore.
Adults £2, under-14 children £1, family
ticket £5 for four people, £6 for five.
Email: echo17events@outlook.com
Web: www.echo17events.co.uk
Ongoing
Woodhouse Players present Little Women
18th, 19th, 25th, 26th September, 8pm
each evening plus 2.30pm showing
on Saturdays
Welsh Church Hall, 881 High Road,
Leytonstone E11 1HR
ESL Sew and Tell
St Gabriel Family Centre,
Every Tuesday from 10am-12pm between
15th September until 20th October
Leytonstone Library, 6 Church Lane,
Leytonstone E11 1HG
Leytonstone theatre company Woodhouse Players perform the stage adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s much-loved
literary classic, Little Women. Set in New
England during the American Civil War,
Little Women brings to life the trials and
tribulations of the March family as four
girls learn to become women in extraordinary times. Generations of readers have
laughed and cried following their journey
via sisterly squabbles and fashion disasters, setbacks and successes in love and
careers, tragedy and happiness.
A beginner’s English as a Second Language (ESL) class within an associated
social sewing circle. Because sewing is a
great way to socialise and practise your
language skills.
£8 adults, £5 concessions, in advance;
£9 or £6 on the door
Suggested donation is £3
Web: Visit www.significantseams.org.uk
Waltham Forest Community Choir
Saturday 19th September, 1-5pm
(registration 12.30pm)
Gnome House, 7 Blackhorse Lane,
Walthamstow E17 6DS
Waltham Forest Community Choir is
hosting a “learn to sing” workshop as
part of Stow Festival. Develop your
singing skills in a friendly environment, followed by a concert in which you
can perform!
Web: www.ticketsource.co.uk/
woodhouseplayers
Tel: 020 8504 3872
Web: www.woodhouseplayers.co.uk
Queens Boundary Community Ceilidh
Saturday 19th September, 7–11pm
Foster Hall, Wellesley Road,
Walthamstow E17 8JZ
A ceilidh is an informal social gathering
at which there is Scottish or Irish folk
music and dancing. Beer from Wildcard
Brewery and food by Cyprus Kitchen. All
proceeds will be donated to local charitable causes.
Free
Email: info@singwithus.net
PMSL Comedy Nights
Every second Wednesday, next show –
August 26th
Bojangles Brasserie, 1 Old Church Road,
Chingford E4 6SL
£8 adults, £5 children
Fortnightly stand up comedy show featuring a variey of hugely talented comedians. Because laughing is fun and you’re
a fun person aren’t you?
Tickets: To book tickets go to www.
eventbrite.co.uk/e/queens-boundary-community-ceilidh-tickets-17738444164
Email: queensboundary@gmail.com
£3 with a flier, £5 without (fliers can
be printed off from Facebook or picked
up locallay
Email: Kirstie Summers on
k_haf93@hotmail.co.uk
Eldery and disabled people’s skills and
social session
Foster Hall, Barbabas Church,
Wellesley Road, E17.
(Tuesdays, 20:30 – 22:00)
Quaker Meeting House, Jewel Rd E17
(Thursdays, 20:15 – 21:30)
Elderly people and those with special
needs are being given the opportunity
to learn new skills, pick up a hobby and
make new friends during a series of free
sessions. Attendees will be able to take
part in a range of activities such as relaxation, physical philosophy, and music
therapy, as well as have a healthy lunch.
Free
Tel: To book call 07599 937 114
Supportive Social Stitching
Thursdays 1–3pm
Significant Seams, 131 Wood Street,
Walthamstow E17 3LX
A welcoming session for anyone interested in knitting, stitching or craft. Come
along to learn a new skill, contribute
to a community project and make new
friends! Significant Seams is currently
facilitating towards a major art installation in 2016.
The Warrant Officer Choir
Every Monday at 7.30pm starting
7th September
The Warrant Officer, 318 Higham Hill
Road, Walthamstow E17 5RG
Join our community choir. Absolutely
no auditions, all abilities welcome. Raise
your voice and lift your spirits as part of
an adult choir where you call the tunes.
Taster session free. Then £6 per
session in advance. £7 pay-as-you-go.
Email: singattheWO@gmail.com
Tel: 07813 686 980 (Laura)
Ye Olde Rose and Crown Open Mic
First Wednesday of the month, 7.30pm.
Ye Olde Rose and Crown, 55 Hoe Street,
Walthamstow E17 4SA
An open mic night at a great pub. This
popular event attracts performers of all
descriptions from far and wide. Come
and cheer on some raw London talent
at this magnificent theatre pub.
Free
Email: andy@mirror-mic.com (Andy)
Tel: 07940 260 558 if you are interested
in performing.
£3 suggested donation
Web: www.significantseams.org.uk
Next issue listings:
Leytonstone Litterpickers
Sunday 6th and 27th September 12–3pm
Meet at the top of Colworth Road
To have your event or activity
listed in the next issue email
the details:
We are a group of residents who hold
regular litterpick events around Leytonstone. Equipment is provided and there
are often drinks afterwards at a local pub.
Date, Type of Event, Title of
Event, Venue/Address, Short
Description, Time, Cost and
Contact Information, to
WFEcho@socialspider.com
by 23rd of October
Free
Email: leytonstonelitterpickers@gmail.com
Advertisement
Circle and sphere are right
I’m rectangle, aren’t we bright?
So next time let’s not fight
Otherwise peace won’t be here, won’t be right.
We’re here to help.
I’m triangular-prism
Come on, listen
Maybe we should play a little game,
All be good,
Don’t be lame!
We are out there talking and listening to
people from every part of the community,
we tell services about your experiences
of care, which will work towards changing
services for the better.
So there you go
Conversations are troublesome with relations.
So next time be peaceful and happy, like one nation,
I’m rhombus + this is kite
We taught you about maths
OKAY, ALRIGHT?
We want to hear what you think about all health
and social care services such as:
Ambulance services
Care Homes
Dentists
Doctors
Home Care
Hospitals
Mental Health Services
Opticians
Pharmacies
Healthwatch Waltham Forest
Waltham Forest Resource Hub (Central), 1 Russell Road, London E10 7ES
Tel 020 3078 9990 | info@healthwatchwalthamforest.co.uk
www.healthwatchwalthamforest.co.uk
Company No 8395175 | Charity No 1154603 | Registered in England
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16
No 7 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2015 WALTHAM FOREST ECHO
COMMENT
Drama on the marshes
A meal to make with kids
Playwright Deborah Nash on the return of her site-specific theatre production,
Walthamstow Mysteries
The Trial of the Trespassing Cow
C
reating a show custom-made for a particular space, or site-specific
theatre, is an increasingly popular art form.
There are plenty of companies
out there championing it. Punchdrunk, for example, brought
us The Drowned Man, an epic
Hollywood thriller in which the
audience wore sinister beaked
masks and roamed through multiple scenarios on four floors
of a derelict warehouse in Paddington.
The audience is rarely sitting
passively watching the action on
some distant stage; it is usually
physically involved in the play,
sometimes an active protagonist.
But the distinguishing characteristic of a site-specific show at
its best is that it cannot transfer anywhere else, this would run
counter to its very definition.
One particular idea I like is
the concept of ‘host and ghost’.
Welsh performance company director Cliff McLucas explained:
“The host site is haunted for
a time by a ghost that the theatre-makers create.
“Like all ghosts it is transparent and the host can be seen
through the ghost. Add into this
the witness, the audience, and we
have a kind of trinity that constitutes the work.”
Last year, I decided to make
a site-specific piece for Walthamstow. Such was its success that
the team is bringing it back
for one final run on 5th and 6th
September.
The marshes at the bottom of
Coppermill Lane make a stunning set. After the frenetic activity of the High Street, the
marshes bring an odd respite.
Big skies, flat drained grassland,
a river, a railway track, a rare adder’s-tongue fern, Belted Galloway cattle in the summer, plus
Dog walkers, cyclists, railway
workers and haystack makers.
The way nature rubs up against
aggressive urban intrusion creates
a bristling tension, reflected in the
history, included in the play. The
trains cut through and the skyline
is dominated by chloride containers, electricity pylons and spiked
metal fencing.
The Walthamstow Mysteries
mixes history with characters
drawn from Walthamstow’s past,
with the magic of the marshes
tossed in. Structurally, it is a
promenade to five different spots
in Coppermill Fields where five
scenes or chapters from a local
history book are brought to life in
a sequence of plays within a play.
The picnic table becomes the negotiating table where the Saxon
Earl Waltheof and William the
Conqueror duel it out in a game
of cards; the changing usage
of the copper mill is charted
in a song and dance routine;
the 1815 case Clarke vs Biggs is
dramatised as the Trial of the
Trespassing Cow.
And the finale takes place
beneath a willow tree where the
iron dragon of industrialisation
and development fights a little
boy who uses a twig as a sword.
His name is William Morris.
The Return of The Walthamstow
Mysteries
Saturday, 5th September at 3pm
and Sunday, 6th September, at 4pm
Please meet at the Coppermill Pub at
2.30pm prompt for a short 15-minute
walk to the marshes. Please dress
appropriately for the weather.
Support the Waltham Forest Echo
The Waltham Forest Echo is an independent community newspaper and does not make a profit. It was established in
2014 by Social Spider, a local social enterprise based at The Mill in Coppermill Lane, Walthamstow. The first four editions
were funded through a grant from the Big Lottery Fund. Although advertising now finances most of the paper’s publishing
costs, it is still reliant on donations. Anyone who would like to contribute a regular sum of at least £2 per month will
become a registered supporter of the Waltham Forest Echo and have their name published in future editions. By doing so
you will be helping to provide an important media platform for voluntary and community organisations across the borough.
You will also be welcome to join our editorial meetings and make suggestions for future editions of the paper. Please visit
www.walthamforestecho.co.uk/supporters to become a supporter and to find out more.
Get involved with the Waltham Forest Echo
Would you like to get involved in The Waltham Forest Echo? We are looking for writers, photographers, artists, poets,
advertisers and volunteers. Further details: www.walthamforestecho.co.uk
Local food blogger Katie Robinson explains her
child-friendly soup recipe
W
altham Forest is an endlessly brilliant place to get
kids involved with what they eat, from picking a great
value fish from the local fishmongers, choosing fruit
from the market, trying exotic cakes in a cafe or picking
blackberries in the park.
For this edition, here is a simple, budget-friendly sweetcorn soup
and garlic bread recipe. Young children can spread the bread with
the garlic and herb butter and tip in the soup ingredients, and older
kids can help with the chopping and stirring.
And by the way, when I say “cooking with kids” what I actually mean
is “maybe getting your kids to join in for two minutes before running
off”! I never get long out of mine, but I believe every minute counts.
Sweetcorn soup and garlic bread
Serves four as a light meal, cooking time 30 minutes
This dish is healthy, tasy, colourful and quick so makes a perfect
midweek meal. It takes 20 minutes and costs around £3.70 in total.
My kids loved the natural saltiness of the cheese and the Mediterreanean flavours of the capers and olives, so much so that they happily
accepted the presence of the beans and vegetables.
Ingredients
For the soup:
2 tbsp butter
2 small tins of sweetcorn
1 onion, chopped
280ml milk
2 vegetable stock cubes, crumbled
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp of chopped black olives
1 vegetable stock cube, crumbled.
For the garlic bread:
1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
50g butter, slightly softened
(still spreadable!)
Small baguette (or other bread),
chopped in rings
Method
For the soup, fry the onion in the
butter for about five minutes, until
soft. Add the sweetcorn (putting
aside a tablespoon of sweetcorn if
If you have any comments, ideas or tips
about food in Waltham Forest, please drop
me a line at
you want the soup to have texture)
and then the milk and simmer for five
minutes. Crumble in the stock cubes.
Use a hand blender for a good while
to make it smooth. If you want, add
the remaining sweetcorn afterwards
so there are a few bits visible in the
soup. Otherwise blend all the sweetcorn. Add a little hot water if you
think it is too thick. If you want to
tart the soup up a little for your adult
portion top it with some chopped
fresh parsley and chilli flakes.
For the garlic bread, mix the softened
butter with the parsley and garlic
and spread it on to the rounds of baguette/bread. Bake the garlic bread in
the oven on gas mark 6/200 degrees
for approximately seven minutes
(maybe longer), until the bread is
lightly browned and the garlic butter
has melted in to the bread.
Email: katielovescookingE17@gmail.com
Visit: www.katielovescooking.com
Twitter: @ktlovescooking