£10.3m boost for Chingford Mount and Highams Park
Yesterday, Wednesday 15 March, we received the great news that our application for government Levelling Up funding for improvements in Chingford Mount and Highams Park has been successful.
We have been awarded £8.4million and, with an extra £1.9million match funding from the council, the entire investment package is £10.3million. The money will be used to improve parks and town centres across the area.
The improvements will include a community café with public toilets and a large climbing net in Memorial Park, while the four tennis courts will be resurfaced and new nets installed.
Chase Lane Park will see a new skate park and scooter play area, as well as an outdoor gym. Tennis courts at Rolls Park will be improved with new surfaces and covers, and additional flood lights.
Chingford Mount town centre will see improvements to make the area safer and more inclusive, particularly for young people, who will be involved in the design process. Highams Park town centre will also benefit from investment, including new rain gardens to reduce the risk of flooding and better streetlighting.
Albert Crescent in Chingford Mount town centre
Waltham Forest was the only London bid to receive an award in yesterday's funding announcement and I'd like to thank Sir Iain Duncan Smith for his letter of support for our bid and the work we are doing in the area. We are committed to putting residents at the heart of everything we do through our new neighbourhood-focused approach.
This announcement follows our previous two successful bids for Walthamstow town centre, for £17.2 million, and Leyton Station, for £14 million, in partnership with TfL. That's more than anywhere else in London and it demonstrates the confidence the government has in our track record creating the infrastructure improvements residents want to see across the borough.
I can’t wait to see the work start and hear from you about the difference these improvements will make. You can read more about the award here.
Grace
Cllr Grace Williams, Leader of Waltham Forest Council
Highams Park town centre
The ceiling of the soon-to-be Soho Theatre Walthamstow
Get a peek inside Soho Theatre Walthamstow, formerly the EMD and Granada Cinema, and hear all about the interior design thoughts behind the restoration of the much-loved building.
The building’s layered history is preserved and celebrated through the ‘arrested decay’ approach, which holds the building at a moment in time. When the venue reopens towards the end of 2023, visitors will experience every incarnation of the building, from early cinema and the venue which hosted the Rolling Stones and Dusty Springfield, to its Bollywood days.
This is your last chance to have your say in Waltham Forest’s Big Youth Conversation.
If you are aged between 11 and 25 and live, work, play or study in Waltham Forest, we want to hear from you! Tell us your thoughts, ideas and opinions on the things that matter most to you. Complete the survey or share it with a young person before 10am on Friday 24 March 2023 for a chance to win a £100 voucher.
As the weather improves, we want to bring the people of Waltham Forest together with a range of free and low-cost activities this spring.
Springfest brings together events and activities in April and May in Fellowship Square. These include a fun-filled programme for children over the Easter holidays, a range of markets, opportunities to get active and more including:
Browse all our events and book your tickets.
To celebrate Repair Week from Monday 20 March to Sunday 26 March, we will be hosting events across the borough.
Our programme includes opportunities to learn more about 3D printing, get involved with sewing, get your bike fixed and more.
Please note, the Repair Café is now fully booked. If you are interested in similar events in the future, please follow Forest Fixers on Facebook.
A joint partnership between the Council and the Metropolitan Police, Pop-up Police Stations give residents the chance to talk directly with local police officers as well as Council Anti-Social Behaviour and Neighbourhoods officers every week, in a relaxed and informal setting.
Humphreys Café in Highams Park IG8 9RB, continues to host Cuppa with a Copper mornings every Wednesday from 11am to allow residents face-to-face interaction with their Neighbourhood Policing Team.
Find a Pop-up Police Station near you.
This week is Neurodiversity Celebration Week, a worldwide initiative challenging stereotypes and misconceptions about neurological differences, while providing opportunities to recognise the many talents and advantages of being neurodivergent.
We are working to change the narrative to understand, accept and celebrate neurodiversity, and to ensure autistic and neurodiverse people feel welcome and supported in the borough.
We have some exciting and inclusive events to celebrate our autistic and neurodiverse residents coming up this month, such as our Neurodiversity Awareness Event at Wood Street Library on Sunday 26 March, from noon to 3pm
Join us for a talk from Austin Hughes, Safeguarding Manager and Inclusion Officer at West Ham United, to learn more about neurodiversity and find information on what services are available to neurodiverse people in Waltham Forest.
Autism Acceptance and Neurodiversity Awareness events.
Calling all local film makers
The Walthamstow International Film Festival has been going since 2010 and is a platform for local filmmakers to show their short films up against international peers. All films must be five minutes or under and made after January 2022. Films should be suitable for family viewing.
It’s free to enter for Waltham Forest schools, colleges and sixth forms, and £5 for others. Deadline for entries is Wednesday 31 May 2023.
The festival is due to take place on Sunday 4 June from noon to 6pm at Walthamstow Trades Hall. Free entry. More details will be released closer to the date.
Follow @e17filmfestival on social media for updates.
Current council vacancies and other local jobs
We regularly update the vacancies and local jobs listing on our Waltham Forest Jobs website. Explore available job opportunities and apply for roles that suit you.
And you can find the latest Waltham Forest Council jobs online on our website or LinkedIn.
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