Help create a fantastic new lido that’s accessible to all
Back in December, Waltham Forest Council's Cabinet approved Low Hall Sports Ground as the preferred location for a new lido. This is part of our ambition to improve the leisure and wellbeing offer in the area, and an opportunity to enhance the well used sports facilities and green spaces.
Low Hall is in the heart of the borough, close to St James Street and in walking distance of both Lea Bridge and Queens Road stations, with cycle routes nearby. We've already begun talking to local sports and community groups and held a number of engagement events as part of the first round of public engagement to find out your views. There is still time to submit your feedback, so please tell us your ideas on how we can create a fantastic new lido that is accessible to all, and benefits the whole community. So far, we've had well over 1,000 responses, and these will be used to develop a business case for funding the next stages of this exciting project. Find out more and have your say before the engagement ends next Tuesday, 11 April. There will be future opportunities to contribute should the project progress, so please do get involved.
It was a real pleasure to attend last week's private view of the William Morris Gallery's new exhibition celebrating the work of fashion designer Ashish Gupta. Fashion and design are part of Waltham Forest's history, from the days of Sally Tuffin and Marion Foale at Walthamstow School of Art in the 1960s, right up to today's Blackhorse Collective and Waltham Forest Fashion creatives. It was lovely to meet Ashish and celebrate his work.
Have a very happy and peaceful Easter to everyone celebrating this weekend – and to all our residents celebrating Passover and observing Ramadan. Don’t forget there are free events at libraries across the borough, as well as at Fellowship Square.
Grace
Cllr Grace Williams, Leader of Waltham Forest Council
Improving Chingford Mount and local parks
Big plans for Memorial Park
Chingford Mount and local parks are set to benefit from a share of the £8.4million Levelling Up Funds recently awarded to Chingford Mount and Highams Park.
Waltham Forest Council will provide an additional £1.9million, bringing the whole investment to £10.3m. Work will include:
- making Memorial Park more appealing with a new community café, public toilets and a large climbing net, while the four tennis courts will be resurfaced, and new nets installed
- a new play areas in Chase Lane Park including a skate park, scooter play area, and an outdoor gym
- better surfaces, covers and flood lights to improve the tennis courts at Rolls Park
- more greenery and public art at Chingford Mount
Watch Cllr Ahsan Khan, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing and Regeneration, talk about the Chingford Mount and Highams Park awards.
Boosting Highams Park Town Centre
Highams Park town centre will see improvements to help people feel safer and boost businesses
Highams Park town centre will see high street improvements including new paving and street lighting to help people feel safe, and new retail spaces for start-ups, encouraging more footfall to boost the local economy. We are also working towards having the play area opposite Tesco upgraded by the summer.
Improving access at Leyton Station
Leyton Station will undergo extensive work to make it accessible to passengers
Leyton Station was awarded approximately £14 million in January 2023 after a successful joint bid led by Transport for London and the Greater London Authority.
It will see new step-free access to each platform as well as a new ticket hall and concourse. Use of the station is predicted to grow by up to 35 per cent by 2041 – the improvements
are vital to future-proof this busy station and improve access for all passengers.
Culture for all in Walthamstow
Cultural desinations in and around Walthamstow town centre will benefit
The centre of Walthamstow was awarded £17.2 million award in the January Levelling Up funding award. This will pay for improvements to public spaces in the High Street, Hoe Street and St James Street as well as investment in Council-owned heritage buildings across the Town Centre, designed to preserve and enhance their historic character and make them more accessible to the community:
- Chestnuts House to create a centre for innovation and creative enterprise;
- Hatherley Mews to support workspace, food/drink, and hospitality businesses, creating a destination around Soho Theatre Walthamstow;
- Vestry House Museum as a place that celebrates Waltham Forest’s culture and community, widening participation in cultural and creative activities.
Last weekend's Go East Vintage market proved a hit despite the cold
Come down to Fellowship Square this weekend to visit our new regular markets.
Every Saturday, Social Street Markets will be providing a fantastic culinary experience, including a range of street food specialties and distinctive stalls offering a variety of produce.
On Sunday 9 April, bring family and friends along to the Makers Market from The Creative Side of London. A platform for local creatives and talent offering an exquisite handmade shopping experience and a perfect family day out. Entry to both markets is free. Please join us and spread the word to support our local businesses and entrepreneurs.
And if you're coming along, check out Darling's, the brand new café in Fellowship Square. Open every day, from 9am to 4pm.
Some of the treats waiting for you at Darling's
Guests mingle among the mannequins at the Ashish private view. Ashish Gupta is pictured far left, on the bottom row, with the exhibition's co-curator, Joe Scotland, and above, with Cllr Grace Williams, Leader of the Council, and Esme Young, designer and presenter of The Great British Sewng Bee. Images © Dave Benett
New Ashish exhibition opens
Last Friday, 31 March, the William Morris Gallery welcomed over 400 guests to a special preview event to celebrate the opening of its latest exhibition, Ashish: Fall in Love and Be More Tender. The event saw a few famous faces join in, including Little Mix’s Jade Thirlwell and The Great British Sewing Bee judge, Esme Young.
The exhibition is the first retrospective of the work of fashion designer Ashish Gupta, offering an unprecedented overview of Ashish’s subversive and playful designs. The exhibition is already proving popular, with over 2,000 visitors since Friday evening. You can see the exhibition from Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm. Entrance is free.
Free design course
We are offering young people in further education aged 16 to 25 the opportunity to take part in a five-day intensive fashion design course, inspired by the Ashish: Fall In Love and Be More Tender exhibition.
The course will run from Tuesday 11 to Saturday 15 April 2023 at William Morris Gallery between 10:30am and 4pm. Find out more about the course.
Family Day: fashion special
It's Family Day at the William Morris Gallery this Saturday, 8 April. Unleash your inner design rebel and be inspired by the powerful slogans and rainbow colours of Ashish to create your very own T-Shirt design. Bring a plain T-shirt to decorate. From 1pm, with craft sessions until 3.40pm. While you’re at the Gallery, enjoy the new family trail that explores the exhibition. Family Day details.
We've got a cracking line up over Easter at 228 Chingford Mount, packed full of egg-citing and fun activities.
Paint traditional wooden mandalas and Easter themed wooden accessories such as badges and necklaces.
...and in Fellowship Square
FREE Fellowship Square Trail: every day, 10am to 5pm.
Amity the lion will guide you around the square on a quest to find out more about the history of the buildings, location and people. There are activities as you go around and a prize at the end. Find out more about the trail.
Maryam Luong Face Painting
Tuesday 11 April, Wednesday 12 April, Thursday 13 April and Friday 14 April, 10am to 5pm
Just turn up and get your face painted. Prices vary by design.
Let's Get Out
Friday 7 April, 10.30am to 12.30pm and 1.30pm to 3.30pm; Tuesday 11 April to Friday 14 April, 10.30am to 12.30pm and 1.30pm to 3.30pm
There are eight sessions introducing young people to the outdoors and and helping them learn new skills. Individual sessions cost £7 or £44 for the whole week. Book a place.
Football Fun Factory
Monday 10 April to Friday 14 April, 10am to 5pm
Fun games, football skills, inflatable goal posts and an inflatable dart board. Sessions cost £5 each. Book your ticket.
Bus King Theatre
Every day until Friday 14 April, 11am to 11.30am
A puppet show presented in a beautifully converted double-decker bus, suitable for all ages with additional puppet making workshops on the upper deck after the show. Tickets for the show cost £9 adults, £7.50 for children; workshops cost an extra £5. Book a ticket.
Join Mr Marvelo and friends this Easter at Bus King Theatre
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Easter rubbish and recycling collections
Please note that waste and recycling collections over the Easter bank holidays will remain unchanged so please put your waste out on your usual day. More on rubbish and recycling.
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Leyton Library update
Following recent works to resolve flood damage at Leyton Library, we would like to apologise for the continued inconvenience and disruption that this has caused to residents. We're working tirelessly on a new look for the library and plan to reopen in May. We really appreciate your patience and will update on the opening date nearer the time. Find your nearest library
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Food collection for people affected by the Syria earthquakes
Waltham Forest Council Of Mosques has organised a food collection for people affected by the recent devastating earthquakes in Syria, where it's estimated that over 80 per cent of the population are depending on aid to survive.
Drop off date and time: Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 April, 10am to 4pm.
Location: Ghousia Grove Road Hall, 119-123 Grove Rd, Walthamstow, E17 9BU.
Please only drop off long life food such as chick peas, rice and baby porridge, plus essential items including nappies, Calpol and sanitary pads. Full list of items and more information.
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NHS strike, 11 to 15 April
Many hospital doctors will be taking part in a four-day strike from 11-15 April, which will affect services across north east London. If you need urgent care but it is not a life-threatening emergency, get advice first by visiting NHS 111online, or call 111 if you cannot access the internet. Only call 999 in a life-threatening medical or mental health emergency if someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk, such as a heart attack or if someone has stopped breathing.
Fancy a career in customer service?
Register now for a two-week customer service course starting on Monday 17 April 2023. Not only will you obtain a valuable customer service qualification, but you will also be guaranteed an interview with a top hospitality company at the end of the course. There are vacancies in front office, food and beverage, housekeeping, guest services, and backhouse. To register or get more information, email Harpal.Rull@walthamforest.gov.uk with your full name, email address and telephone number.
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 and check out our LinkedIn.
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