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Proud of Pride
Pride Month is well underway, and as one of the most diverse parts of the country Waltham Forest is proud of its longstanding history of celebrating our LGBTQ+ community.
I’m pleased to report that the council has once again commissioned our partners elop to deliver Waltham Forest Pride. This year’s event will take place from 2pm to 8pm on Saturday 19 July in Lloyd Park, Walthamstow. The free event promises stalls, activities, entertainment, and performances.
We recently caught up with an LGBTQ+ Community Liaison Officer, PC Sam Mason, who lives and works in the borough. It was great to hear about his experiences as a gay man in the Met and how he is working to support and engage with other LGBTQ+ people as well as educating about the harmful impacts of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia.
As part of our Pride Month celebrations we’re shouting out some of the wonderful businesses in our borough that are owned by or cater to the LGBTQ+ community. There are some fantastic enterprises out there, from the history-making Queer Brewing Company and Pixie’s Bar to Wizard of Hair and Ram Barbers – not to mention F* Choir and Lez Get Creative.
We are marking Refugee Week (16 to 22 June) with a great range of activities for all to enjoy, including storytelling and comedy nights, a community lunch, and children’s events across the borough this weekend.
This Friday – the longest day of the year – OrganicLea is also hosting a free Refugee Week celebration including food and entertainment from Mbilla Arts from 3.30pm to 9pm at 115 Hawkwood Cres, Chingford, E4 7UH.
On a related note, Waltham Forest has been awarded Libraries of Sanctuary status, recognising the support and solidarity our network of libraries across the borough offers to people in the asylum system. As ever, we are proud of the diversity within our borough and have a history of being a welcoming place for people from all over the world who want to make Waltham Forest their home.
Grace
Cllr Grace Williams, Leader of Waltham Forest Council
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What's happening where you are |
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Please note, if your postcode is IG8, your nearest events will appear under E4. If you live in E7 or E15, check out E11. You can also find online events on our website.
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Leyton Más, it's a gas, gas, gas! |
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 Carnival returns again this year on Sunday 13 July 2025.
Leyton Más 2025 celebrates Waltham Forest’s people, heritage, and musical heartbeat in a bold, joyful takeover of Leyton’s streets and gardens. Think: music, movement, masquerade – all powered by the community. The parade will culminate in the Carnival Fête with dance, live music, DJs, and a festival market.
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 Film fans in Waltham Forest are one step closer to having another two new screens open in the borough with updated planning permission approved for the Regal Cinema in Highams Park. Construction is expected to start later this year, with plans for the development including:
- the retention and restoration of the street frontage historical façade
- the construction of a part two, part six storey building
- a two-screen cinema and a café bar on the ground floor level
- 33 residential apartments on the floors above.
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 Windrush 2025 celebrations in Waltham Forest will once again showcase the very best in Afro-Caribbean music, food, art and history in celebration of the Windrush Generation and their legacy.
Throughout June our programme includes Windrush Day performances, a Refugee Week lunch, North Chingford Heritage Festival, carnival and craft workshops, children's and family events and a Freedom Walk with local historian Peter Ashan.
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 Workers are onsite from this week to transform Forest Road into a better-connected transport corridor, starting with the section between Wood Street and Hale End Road. Following an extensive consultation process on the plans in July 2023, we analysed your feedback and made changes to the designs based on what we heard.
This section of works, expected to take about five months, have been planned carefully to keep disruptions to a minimum. Two-way traffic will be maintained, and temporary lights won’t be needed.
However, please note Wigram Square may need to be closed for a short amount of time for construction of the new continuous footways, and two bus stops, A and F, will be suspended during the works and relocated nearby.
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 Drop in to Waltham Forest Archives between Saturday 21 June and Saturday 5 July, and learn more about this free-to-use resource. Meet local enthusiasts from Chingford Historical Society to chat about Chingford local history and discuss your family history with experts from Waltham Forest Family History Society, who can guide you on family history research in the borough.
If you've ever been curious about using the Archives and Local Studies Library to look into the history of your house or street, or your local family history, do drop in to meet our friendly team or join one of the free tours of the searchroom.
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 Monday was World Refill Day, which highlights the ways we can all reuse and refill items to help reduce packaging waste - whether it’s topping up a reusable water bottle, grabbing a coffee in your own cup, or filling up your own containers with goods like dried foods or cleaning products.
The free Refill Return app shows a map of the businesses near you where you can refill, and information about online brands that sell refillable items. You can also add local businesses to the app, helping to create a map of reuse and refill locations across Waltham Forest.
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 This summer sees the return of Waltham Forest Hockey Club’s free summer sessions for beginner or returner players. If you’ve never played before, played at school but haven’t since, or you’ve just always wanted to try it out – now’s your chance! No experience or equipment necessary.
Sessions are on Wednesday evenings, from 8pm to 9.30pm, at Walthamstow Academy on Billet Road. Email join@walthamforesthc.co.uk to register your interest and find out more.
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 Organised by The Waltham Forest Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica Twinning Association, you are invited to join writer, storyteller and poet Jane Ulysses Grell for a storytelling workshop programme taking place on Saturdays from 2pm to 4pm on dates throughout June, July, August and September. These are FREE sessions for adult participants – no experience of writing or storytelling needed! Please book your space in advance by emailing wftwinningassociation@gmail.com.
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East London Festival of Nature |
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 The first East London Festival of Nature launches next week - ten days of activity from Wednesday 25 June to Saturday 5 July on and around Walthamstow Marshes to inspire the community about the wildlife and green spaces on their doorstep. Featured events include communal hay harvest and haystack rolling plus a series of walks and talks on birds, bees, butterflies and grasses.
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HOT WEATHER ALERT
A London-wide amber heat health alert is now in effect until 9am on Monday 23 June. Get the most out of the warm weather by following our steps to staying safe and cool:
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Check our website for advice on staying well in the heat. There are dozens of great tips on there, which you can use as a checklist to make sure you're doing what you can to stay cool.
- Know the signs of heat stroke. Call 111 for advice if you think someone is unwell, or 999 in an emergency.
- Think about which neighbours, friends or family might be especially vulnerable - people who live alone, the elderly, ill or very young people. Check on them as often as you can.
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Check out the list of cool spaces in the borough, where you can stay for free to keep cool.
- If you see someone sleeping rough, you can message Streetlink to let them know. They will alert local outreach services who will visit them and offer support.
Minimum Income Guarantee consultation
We’re currently asking for residents’ views on changes to the additional top up that Waltham Forest applies to the Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG).
Waltham Forest currently applies a 25 per cent top up to the standard MIG levels. This means residents who receive local authority-arranged care and support in the community are allowed to keep more of their income than the standard minimum.
The council is proposing to gradually reduce this uplift in two stages:
- From Late 2025: Reduce from 25 per cent to 10 per cent
- From Late 2026: reduce from 10 per cent to zero.
The standard MIG amount is set by the government and is not changing. If implemented, this change could potentially save the council an estimated £1m per year.
SEND Strategy consultation
This is your final opportunity to share your views on the proposed Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Strategy 2025-28. The consultation closes on Friday 27 June. The strategy was co-produced with local SEND partners to reflect the needs of children, young people, families, and professionals in the community. Please take a moment to read the strategy and provide your feedback before the consultation ends.
Family fun with Traid
Join charity retailer Traid for their free Family Fun Day on Sunday 22 June, from 12pm to 4pm, at their new look Walthamstow store at 106a High Street, Walthamstow, E17 7JY.
Visitors can dance the afternoon away at Traid’s family disco with DJ Chewy on the decks, drop-in to their clothes customisation workshop with Make Do and Wonder, with free juices courtesy of Pip Organic. Plus, check out Traid’s special curated range of second-hand kids and baby clothes, shoes and toys.
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Opportunities for residents |
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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.
You can find the latest Waltham Forest Council jobs online on our website, and check out our LinkedIn.
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