The E List - February 2018

No 57 February 2018

the

E list

ISSN 2058-2196

5 Years of…

Your cultural life in and around Walthamstow, Highams Park, Leytonstone and Leyton

The fleeting moment with urban artist GOMACG Britain’s leading chocolatier Paul A Young Punk-hearted Renaissance woman, Penny Pepper Words of love for Valentine

Your FREE Magazine featuring 1 7 things to d 5+ o locally

Fellowship is Life

COVER STAR GOMACG Who is GOMACG? Back in the dark days of dial up internet this was my first email address. Rather than be Gordon MacGregor1997 it’s an amalgam of my name that I thought was memorable, cool and snappy. It’s still snappy – if you can remember it! And two out of three isn’t bad.

What sort of artist are you? Purely a painter. Pencil, paper, paint, brush and a canvas.

You say the ‘urban picturesque’ inspires you. My ‘urban picturesque’ is the art I find by walking London’s streets, finding areas and different routes through them, checking out and photographing the constant change. Alongside the textural mix of old and new buildings I find a beauty in the walls covered in vibrant new street art alongside fragments of torn posters, type, stickers and fading older artwork. The overlapping and layering of these torn up styles feeds directly into my paintings. That’s why I would term myself an urban artist. I grew up in a small town in Scotland, but I’ve lived in London all my adult life. As a confirmed city dweller, it’s simply a signifier to my external inspiration.

Tell us about the role of the ‘fleeting moment’ in your work. The energy and transience in street art, graffiti, posters etc. is all here today, gone tomorrow – they are all ‘fleeting moments’. Stylistically my work references these, in the vibrant colour or the use of stencils for instance.

This rapid change in these artworks act as a metaphor for the thoughts, images or words that are important one day and are faded memories or forgotten the next. We are constantly bombarded with images.

I try to capture some that have meaning to me, that I have connected with by painting them as a collection of images on a wall. Sometimes I create a narrative, or like thoughts, make tenuous links and random combinations.

Describe the process by which you assemble a new piece of work. It’s either a character doodle from my sketchbook, a photo I’ve taken or something from the stacks of old books and reference folders that becomes the centrepiece and catalyst. Practically, I usually collage

paper on canvas and paint over it to start layering the surface. The ambiguity is in resisting planning and let it happen intuitively. This is where serendipity comes into play. Memories, pictures of words and images come and go as I’m working and if they connect they become part of the narrative. This builds up the layers of interconnecting sections which I try to bring together in some kind of harmony.

That’s not to say it always pays off, but that’s the beauty of crafting the texture of a covered wall. I can tear bits off, scratch parts out, paste, draw and paint over what doesn’t work. And create something new.

Questions by Paul Lindt

Serendipity Work by GOMACG 2 – 25 February 2018 Opening event Thursday February 1, 7-9pm Walthamstow Village Window Gallery, Village Square, 47 Orford Road E17 9NJ

gomacg.com

Front cover: Easy 8. Opposite page: Nailmouth Says Thank You. This page: Clockwise from top left: The Explosive Side; Veronica Lake - Smoke Party Dynamite; Blue Bear on a Bike; L. O. V. E.17.

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Photo of Eileen Joyce © Tully Potter Collection

Brief Encounter A dazzling 1946 Walthamstow Assembly Hall performance by Brief Encounter piano legend Eileen Joyce’s has been unearthed by Decca and is now available for the first time on Decca Sound: The Piano Edition.

Walthamstow Assembly Hall (WAH17) in 1945 and returned a year later to record at the Hall.

Australian pianist Eileen Joyce is most famous for playing the devastating Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 2 which features in Brief Encounter - voted the nation’s favourite piece of 2

classical music and the most romantic film of all time.

At the height of her fame, Joyce recorded soundtracks for and appeared on screen in a series of films, enjoying enormous popularity. Joyce performed at

It was something of a coup for Decca to lure her to the label and now they were embarking on a special relationship with WAH17 where they had found a very special acoustic. However Joyce’s recording of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No 2 was never to see the light of day.

Decca did not issue the WAH17 recording, giving unspecified technical faults as their reason.

A notorious perfectionist and marathon performer, it is likely Joyce pulled the plug because she was dissatisfied with her performance. Independent judges who have heard the test pressings cannot detect any ‘technical faults’. In terms of audio quality, the recording is perhaps one of the most impressive things to emerge from Decca in the 1940s. For Philip Fowke, Joyce’s performance is “one of the finest I have heard; a performance of sparkle, passion and bravura.”

Walthamstow Assembly Hall is renowned for its outstanding acoustics. The venue has announced a new arts and live music programme under the banner WAH17. wah17.co.uk @forestvenues #wah17

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This issue of the E List celebrates five years since I launched the magazine with Neil Collins back in the post-Olympic haze of 2013. It is indeed a local magazine for local people, and I say that with much pride. Thanks to the array of talent and characters in its pages over the years I think it would be hard to find an area that quite compares.

Yes the people you will read about in this issue are linked to Waltham Forest in some way, but I wager their stories and impact would be of interest to people anywhere. You may not necessarily be familiar with their names but once you’ve read about them I don’t think you’ll forget them in a hurry.

Love can mean a million different things - lust and danger; hope and promise: comfort and belonging: frivolity and fun - just a few that come to mind. OK, for any psychoanalysts out there (and my partner) please don’t analyse my choices, I set nothing by them. I’ve just been immersed in love poetry for this month’s magazine, mindful of St. Valentine. I asked Paul McGrane of Forest Poets to ask members of the group for their own words on love, a selection of which are shared in these pages. I think you’ll be amazed by the variety of angles on love reflected in the poems, and to coin an expression by Shakespeare, master of the sonnet, wearing your heart on your sleeve is perhaps the only way to approach the poet’s favourite subject.

15 years ago Will Jameson founded one of Africa’s leading arts and music festivals and this year it is coming to the UK for the first time.

Waltham Forest has been chosen as its host (p8). On page 12 we meet Penny Pepper who quite frankly is a challenge to describe. OK, deep breath, and in no particular order she’s an author, journalist, performer, poet, activist, disability campaigner, and one time member of the Ugly Pygmies. In light of such a CV it is shocking to read of the poverty of aspiration presented to her as a bright child, but with disabilities, as she was growing up. It makes reading about the amazing work of Walthamstow’s The Limes this month’s Local Hero on page 25 all the more affecting.

Finally chocolatier Paul A Young (opposite) has won more awards than most of us have had Easter eggs (including Outstanding British Chocolatier at the International Chocolate Awards) and his views on the importance of the true artisan would make William Morris proud.

But I have to declare a personal interest in meeting him though, and hearing about his very successful and level headed career in chocolate. My family’s chocolate experience started well but was anything but level-headed. The Lindt’s contribution to chocolate in the late 19th century was to devise a method of smoothing chocolate (by accident or design, we’re not sure which) that made it scandalously pleasant to eat (previously it was hard and chewy).

This coveted innovation initially made my ancestors an unbelievable fortune but through arrogance, naïvety and bad business they lost it again. Anyway it was great to chat to Paul and talk chocolate – hopefully he was unaware of the ghostly presence of my forebears in the room, stroking their fine Victorian pre-hipster beards. Sorry Paul!

Paul Lindt, Editor editor@theelist.co.uk

@TheEList_e17

The E List

Editor and design: Paul Lindt editor@theelist.co.uk Contributors: Paul Lindt, Farah Ishaq, Kirsty McNeil-O’Connor, Karen Dunn, Mike Sims, Paul Tucker, Penny Fielding, Tom Gaul, Karen Averby, Bill Foster.

Listings and distribution: Danny Coope danny@theelist.co.uk Advertising: Bill Foster ads@theelist.co.uk

For the latest listings, a digital version of the E List magazine and back issues

theelist.co.uk 4

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Eileen Joyce

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8

Lake of Stars

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Paul A Young

Penny Pepper

28 30 Inside this issue…

Wetlands Contemporary

Queen Elizabeth’s Hunting Lodge

Love poems

7, 9, 12, 13, 29

Brief Encounter’s piano legend Eileen Joyce recording at WAH17 2 Award winning chocolatier Paul A Young

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Malawi based multi-discipline arts festival, Lake of Stars comes to Waltham Forest 8 The Naked Punk: Penny Pepper

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E~DEN: The Home Directory

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House Doctor – Original floors

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Local Hero – Liz Fraser & The Limes

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Tom Gaul’s A Spotter’s Guide to Local Streetlife

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E-VOLVE: Health and Fitness Directory

27

Wetlands Contemporary

28

Perculiar Times: The Virgin Queene in Chingford?

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Walthamstow Diary

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Listings

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The E List is available for FREE at approx 100 venues across E17, E11, E12, E10 and E4.

See theelist.co.uk for your nearest venue. As copies disappear quickly we aim to restock the most popular venues during the month so please keep trying.

If you would like your venue to be a distribution point email listings@theelist.co.uk

E~LICIOUS a Guide to Fine things to Eat, Drink and Savour

Chocolate & the art of the artisan

Photo © Maxine Kirsty Sapsford

Paul A Young is a well-respected and internationally-recognised award winning chocolatier. He has shops in three of London’s most prestigious locations and has published three acclaimed cook books. The well-known chocaholic Nigella Lawson is a fan.

Paul promotes the joy of chocolate in any way he can, including regular TV appearances, and even uses it to raise funds for his chosen charities, including the Children’s Air Ambulance. Here, he talks to Paul Lindt, no stranger to chocolate himself.

We’re standing in Paul A Young’s kitchen in his Walthamstow home. As is immediately apparent, this is no ordinary kitchen. He tells me the house was a wreck when he bought it two years ago with his business partner, James Cronin.

Pretty much everything from floor to roof had to be taken down and rebuilt. Even though the work was gruelling and he had to fit it in around long hours at his business, it meant he could reconfigure the house exactly to his needs. Hence the

kitchen now fills two-thirds of the ground floor. There isn’t a dining table per se just two large islands. It effectively combines chocolate laboratory with social space, he tells me. I can’t help but notice that all of the shelves of the large white Welsh dresser covering one wall are filled with alcohol. Very nice alcohol. My eyes are particularly drawn to three large bottles of Laphroaig single malt. He notices that I’ve noticed, and says with a grin that the collection is “mainly for work”, before

adding, “but not totally”. He offers me two chocolates, one containing a Kirsch cherry and Metaxa, the other with aniseed, both handmade today in this very kitchen.

Incredibly, every six weeks Paul and his team change their range of chocolates with brand new creations. Yes that’s every six weeks! “You have to,” he insists “it keeps life interesting, the customers are used to it, so we keep doing it.” And even though his business started in 2006, he says he is still in no danger of running out of ideas. The

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two I taste today are the result of a day spent in the kitchen with Nick, his partner in development, perfecting flavours in readiness for Valentine’s Day. Apparently I am only the third person to have tasted these brand new flavours. In the UK for many years alcohol and chocolate brought to mind dodgy liqueurs at Christmas time. The chocolate often had a slightly unpleasant crunch and the alcohol was caustic, sweet yet bitter but not in a good way. Everything tasted pretty much the same whether it was sherry, brandy or whisky. With Paul’s creations however the chocolate is clean and the flavours fresh.

Both the kirsch and aniseed are light and delicate yet instantly recognizable. Not overpowering. “In the end chocolate’s the hero,” he reminds me. The aniseed was especially exciting because to me, like many of Paul’s creations, it was a slightly unexpected combination.

I suspect things do get a little unexpected after 10 years of constant creativity. I ask him if he ever has any happy accidents, ie pairings where they should work, but don’t, or vice versa, and he surprises me by answering “No’. He is firm: “It’s really not that experimental. I already know in my head what will work and what won’t”. Even as a totally self-taught chocolatier it is here that his previous experience as Marco Pierre White’s Head Pastry Chef at Quo Vadis and Criterion restaurants really comes to the fore. Pastry making is one of cuisine’s most exacting crafts. In the professional kitchen, time and ingredients come at a premium

so really there is no room for accidents “You have to plan” he says. Paul’s years of experience mean there is a heavy dose of science and business acumen in this chocolate alchemy.

We move on to talk about his business, Paul A Young Fine Chocolates. which now has shops in some of London’s most prestigious addresses, Camden Passage in Islington; Wardour Street in Soho and Threadneedle Street, home of the Bank of England in the City.

Paul and James launched their first shop in Camden Passage in 2006. He tells me the day the shop opened was the day he started selling chocolate. “ It was a long time ago” he says “before farmers’ markets and pop up shops.” Looking back he is not sure why he initially chose chocolate, even though it is a natural progression from being a pastry chef.

“It was the right thing at the right time, the right way of cooking for me at that point.

You can never say why. You just go with it and hope it works,” he laughs. “It was a good decision!.” During his time in patisserie he had realised that there was an absence of places to buy fresh handmade chocolates in London, and surprisingly, 11 years later his business is still the only one to offer them.

Consequently, he and James formulated a business plan and amazingly funded it all themselves. “We saved and saved, working 3 or 4 jobs”, and as Paul adds proudly, “have never sought finance”. As we talk he displays a refreshingly old-fashioned approach to life and business. As he explains, “You live within your means and the business will expand if

6 To advertise your business contact ads@theelist.co.uk

and when it’s ready. Quality and innovation come first, if you get those right then the rest will follow.” I wonder how much of this attitude comes from his upbringing. He grew up in a small mining village in Durham, and it was here that his love for cooking and creating things developed. He remembers, “There wasn’t much available in the shops back then, no supermarkets and we didn’t have a car, so if you wanted something you had to make it.” He loved cakes so he spent time with his mum and gran making them. His most memorable experience of chocolate at the time however was not from the kitchen but the thrill of unwrapping a large box of Thorntons’ Continental chocolates at Christmas, considered the height of sophistication in the early ’80s.

He never became a chocolate snob, as he says there is always a time and place for a bar of chocolate from a supermarket.

But his chocolates are often referred to as

Satellite

a love poem by Eithne Cullen artisan, and we debate the meaning of the term, defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “a worker in a skilled trade, especially one that involves making things by hand”. We agree that it is a much-overused word, and as such, he points out, does not always indicate quality. When I suggest artisan has become the domain of the modern middle class, he quickly refutes the term necessarily indicates luxury or expense. “It can refer to anything that is handmade or handcrafted.

Whether it is someone weaving a basket, or a baker making a loaf of bread. They are all artisan and examples can be found in every village or town.” As he talks with passion about the importance of the maker as against the mass produced, I immediately think of William Morris and his championing of the unique imprint of the hand of each individual maker on a carving from his workshop. I then stop myself as in chocolate terms such an imprint of the maker might not so be so welcome, but the ethos is much the same. He finishes with “Artisan goods should be accessible to everybody. We’re not elitist, we are not a stuffy chocolate business”. Morris would be proud!

This brings to us to the term ‘artisan’ as it refers to Paul A Young’s own chocolates.

The chocolates are made on site in each store, between them getting through an astonishing 25 tons of chocolate a year.

This is sourced from suppliers from all over the world, chosen in the end on “taste and quality”. Paul’s international reputation means that now many producers large and small come directly to him with new and original products. He thrills to the idea of discovery which combined with creativity keeps his business moving forward. Much of the creation happens in the store’s kitchens too, but Paul does like to sometime bring his work home, hence his fabulous kitchen.

Paul A Young chocolates are each completely handcrafted with no machinery used in the process. They are made only from natural ingredients and in small batches. This means no artificial flavours, compounds, concentrates, essences or preservatives are used, which leads to another significant difference from their mass produced cousins – the shelf life.

These chocolates are fresh which means some of the chocolates must be eaten within five days whereas others can last a couple of weeks. So when, for example, a chocolate contains cream, that means real cream so they will taste good as long as the cream does. The use of such real and authentic ingredients results in delicate yet defined flavours, and separates the truly artisan from the mass produced. The freshness also means that in the heat of the summer Paul’s shops do turn to producing a range of ice creams, when they can no longer guarantee the optimum temperature for the chocolates.

When I met you my heart was set alight.

You, the brightest star, I was your satellite.

You oozed sex appeal I was hermaphrodite.

I was school custard – you – pink Angel Delight.

I was nutty slack, you – dearest anthracite.

You – the high priest – I was your acolyte.

My love and warmth you would not requite.

You can love or hate me, I will be your Marmite.

Finally I ask him for his favourite chocolate from his many creations over the years.

He pauses and says it always changes, but if there is one he always comes back to, it is one of his first, salted caramel, which made his name and brought him numerous international awards from across the world of chocolate. “The combination’s everywhere now,” he sighs, “but without it we wouldn’t be here.”

paulayoung.co.uk

Pictures: Opposite Top Left – Paul and James’ first shop in Camden Passage, Islington. Top Right – Some of Paul’s chocolates Photo © Oympia. Bottom Right – Paul at work in his kitchen at home in Walthamstow.

This page: Adventures in Chocolate, Paul’s first book, won the World’s Best Chocolate Book at the Gourmand Cookbook Awards in Paris, was shortlisted for the Andre Simon Award and included in the Independent’s Top 50 cookbooks.

theelist.co.uk 7

to bring artists and audiences from two continents together, to inspire, collaborate and shine a light on those taking part.

Hosting the first day of the UK festivities involving 25 artists across 8 venues in Walthamstow, it’s a coup that we’ve been chosen as the event’s first destination outside of Africa. An enthusiastic Jameson explains: “Moving here five years ago, I fell in love with Walthamstow, there’s so much arts and culture and it’s great seeing just how active the arts community is and Lake of Stars wants to be part of this movement here, as well as building connections between Malawi and the UK.”

One of the headline acts of the 2016 Lake of Stars Festival, South Africa’s Freshly Ground

LOOK WHO’s Coming to town The Malawi based multi-discipline arts festival Lake of Stars, is coming to London next month. Farah Ishaq talks to founder Will Jameson for the E List and discovers why our borough has been chosen to be the event’s first major foray outside of Africa.

As a leading music and arts festival in Africa, Lake of Stars has grown to become a huge deal since its inception in 2003, and is now celebrating a 15 year milestone. Will Jameson’s initally small project now garners worldwide attention and many acclaimed and lesser-known artists alike travel to and from Malawi to perform, helping to generate over an estimated £1million for the local economy each year. The LOS project aims to host an annual event in London, using this first London festival as a launchpad for increasing cultural collaborations between Africa and the UK as well as awareness for the arts potential in Malawi.

The idea of a multi-cultural arts festival to combine British and African arts culture was spawned on the shores of Lake Malawi 15 years ago by then Bristol based Will Jameson whilst travelling on a gap year.

Following a period when he returned to live in Malawi Will is now a fully fledged Walthamstow local, observing with interest the growth and regeneration of our borough including the Will Jameson, Founder Walthamstow Garden of the Lake of Stars Party, the repairs and Project reopening of Mirth and the takeover of industrial sites for breweries, so Will’s fear of missing out has inspired him to bring the Lake of Stars festival to Walthamstow in March, as part of a largescale event which will take place in London and Glasgow over one incredibly curated weekend.

Lake of Stars blends African and British music, theatre, poetry and craft, and aims

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On March 10, the all day Lake of Stars London event will host free events and activities, ranging from family craft workshops at Woodside School and children’s theatre at Mirth, to a special Rock ’N’ Roll Bookclub, book and poetry readings plus a film festival combining shorts from filmmakers from Africa and London at EMPIRE. As well as making tribal masks, sculpture building, watching street artists from Malawi work with Wood Street Walls – one of the festival’s main aims is to “champion new and contemporary sounds from Africa as well as the UK” says Jameson. So much music will be available across Walthamstow all day. Venues include the Duke, the Rose & Crown, Ekcovision, Centre17 and even a lunchtime concert in St Mary’s Music Hall.

The programmed all-dayer will culminate with a massive (ticketed) live music concert at the Grade II listed WAH17 (the rebranded Walthamstow Assembly Hall), headlined by a variety of African and UK-based artists. The funds raised from concert ticket sales will be ploughed back into helping put on the annual festival in Malawi in September, and early bird tickets will be available to secure a spot for what will surely be a sell out.

Award-winning Ghanaian rapper, singer and songwriter, M.anifest

Valentine Photo © Francesco Mpambe Jnr

by John Houston

The Amahoro Drummers from Burundi, performing at the 2016 Lake of Stars Festival.

Concert headliners so far include the awardwinning Ghanain hip-hop star M.anifest who has collaborated with many artists including Damon Albarn, Erykah Badu and Femi Kuti, Malawi singer Faith Mussa and Scottish indie folksters Frightened Rabbit, fresh from a series of sold out London dates, playing a special stripped back set. Mussa - who is also a child rights activist and one of the most successful Malawi-based artists to have made the transition to performing outside of Africa, along with M.anifest, will both also be playing acoustic shows.

Jameson adds, “To bring Lake of Stars to London has been a very slow burning project to get all of the very different elements into place, and we’ve been in talks with Waltham Forest Council on and off for a while, but it’s so exciting how everything is falling into place! We have artists and muscians coming from so many places, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, South Africa.” I ask him why people should take time out to join in with the LOS London activities. He replies: “There’s literally something for everyone, with such an eclectic mix of arts and music and so much talent in one place at the same time. We want to be part of the story of the growth of the arts community, be connected and build connections between continents at the same time.”

Lake of Stars London 10 March Various venues across Waltham Forest.

A number of tickets for the WAH17 show have been reserved for Waltham Forest residents and can be booked using the code LOSWF on Eventbrite.

For updates and concert and event details

lakeofstars.org or

Lake of Stars.

Programme guides will be available at venues soon.

Lake of Stars will return to the beaches of Lake Malawi 28 – 30 September 2018.

The dog, tongue out, and bum down almost flat, sits waiting for its owner to release it from the railing she has leashed it to, to go and buy a this or that.

The dog strains at its collar, starts to whine, «Why is my mummy taking so much time?»

And barely missing poor dog on the floor, a little girl, on scooter, flashes past.

Her father frowns and, thinking she’s too fast, quickens his pace and grabs her at the corner.

He wants her to slow down, wants her to stay the girl she’s now at least a few more days.

And coming to this turn just by the shop, a postman in his van, who’s seen the girl and been reminded others share his world reduces speed, then finds a gentle stop, exits, and swings his sack onto his back, inside of which are letters, cards and packets all addressed to those who live within these streets that me and you happen to dwell in too. The postman checks, then rings the bell and hands to you, my darling wife, a gift that sings just like the blue tit in the yew outside our kitchen window: I love you.

A Love Poem

by Derrick Porter Taking the quill from its holder, he asked his heart: How do I begin a love poem?

His heart replied: “When did you first learn to drive a motorcycle?” Immediately his eyes lit up. “Well, it`s something like that.”

Later he glanced down at a still blank page.

“Now think of something you believe I would respond to, said his heart… then, rev it up till you feel you are ready for the clutch to be released. Only, if you crash, be prepared to put every part together a hundred times if necessary… But should you feel the damage is beyond repair, accept that my skills are not for you. theelist.co.uk 9

RAVENSWOOD For Eat or Heat 2018 Ravenswood Industrial Estate Saturday 17 February 2018 2pm — Late

The second incarnation of the all-day DJ festival, in aid of local food bank Eat or Heat, follows last year’s highly successful inaugural event, which raised over £4000 for the charity, which helps to feed people struggling to make ends meet.

Ravenswood for Eat or Heat 2018 takes place on Saturday February 17th, across four venues on the Ravenswood Industrial Estate – Wildcard, Pillars, Mother’s Ruin Gin Palace, and The Real Al Company cider taproom.

The line-up so far sees Simian Mobile Disco, drum and bass legend Nicky Blackmarket, Anna Prior from Metronomy, Reggae Roast and Flamingods rub shoulders with faces from the steadily expanding local music scene such as the Eastern Front Soundsystem, Kat Richmond (Electronic 17), General Echo & others.

Left: Nicky Blackmarket

Right: Ravenswood for Eat or Heat 2018 poster.

236 Hoe Street, Walthamstow, E17 3AY / Tel: 0203 397 9797 / Email: hello17@stowbrothers.com 117a High Street, Wanstead, E11 2RL / Tel: 0203 397 2222 / Email: hello11@stowbrothers.com Web: stowbrothers.com / E17 Twitter: @StowBrothers / E11 Twitter: @StowBrothersE11

Right: Anna Prior As part of our on-going commitment to our community, we’re always getting involved in worthy causes and events. If you are organising an event in our local area, then feel free to approach us.

To ďŹ nd out what else we have been up to, visit our website; stowbrothers.com/news-articles

Left: Simian Mobile Disco

The event kicks off at 2pm, with music on at different venues throughout the day.

Entry to all venues is FREE - you can just turn up on the night. Donations are encouraged - there will be donation buckets for Eat or Heat, but donation not compulsory.

Eat Or Heat is a food bank in East London.

It works with people in need to ensure they can both Eat And Heat. It's a relatively small London based charity, so the money raised will make a huge difference in supporting its operations.

Huge thanks to our supporters Sodo, EAT 17, Perky Blenders, & LVE Charitable Foundation, and particular thanks to The Stow Brothers and Waltham Forest Council for their support.

For more information visit: tinyurl.com/Ravenswood2018

Are you looking for a FREE Sales or Lettings valuation?

Get in touch with us today!

236 Hoe Street, Walthamstow, E17 3AY / Tel: 0203 397 9797 / Email: hello17@stowbrothers.com 117a High Street, Wanstead, E11 2RL / Tel: 0203 397 2222 / Email: hello11@stowbrothers.com Web: stowbrothers.com / E17 Twitter: @StowBrothers / E11 Twitter: @StowBrothersE11

Because I love you a love poem by Paul McGrane

The Naked Punk Penny Pepper is a punk hearted poet, musician, writer and performer, here Kirsty McNeil-O’Connor talks to Penny about her newly published memoir, First in The World Somewhere - The True Adventures of a Scribbler, Siren, Saucepot and Pioneer.

The Berlin Wall came down because I love you

kind of outgrew it though because in those days disabled kids were sent to ‘special’ school which I hate and detest – it’s segregated education. These days, I would have been put into mainstream education with support but in those days it was just automatic you were sent away.”

and Thatcher fell because I love you and the first black President because I love you and we landed on Mars because I love you and on a comet because I love you Higgs Boson and Hadron Collider because I love you and because I love you yes o yes o yes we’ll renationalise the railways and save the NHS Paul ♥.

The East London

Sausage Co.

Sensational

Sausages

57 Orford Rd E17 9NJ Tue-Fri: 08.30-19.00

Sat: 08.30-17.30 Sun: 10.00-14.00

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Penny is a colourful raconteur; her life story weaves through hardship, happiness, disability, opportunity and heartbreak with a vitality and strength that is infectious, funny, playful and inviting, but above all, punk! With a ‘do it yourself’ approach to life she has forged her way – ever the activist – to getting her stories heard, she isn’t afraid to speak the truth and smashes stereotypes and supposedly ‘taboo’ subjects with aplomb, publishing her kick arse poetry, a book of award-winning short stories, called Desires, about sex and disability; she’s performed her one woman show at Soho Theatre, to rave reviews – And we haven’t even got started on her music career!

Like all good stories, life hasn’t been plain sailing for Penny. “I started writing poetry when I was about 8 years old, I was a precocious child, eager and curious and initially I liked school – I

“My father taught me to read and write before I went to school and then I won a prize for my writing, I was quite the teacher’s pet but we had a troubled family life and we moved house a lot, and I became quite introverted. Then a lovely English teacher at a hospital school I attended – she was the first person to say to me – ‘Penny, I think you could write for a living’ – her name was Mrs Marsh. And that was it, in terms of my ambition I was going to be a writer.

“Life really changed for me when I became a punk.

At the time I was living on a drab council estate in Buckinghamshire with no support to do anything, I lived with my mum – no money to go anywhere so I sort of lived in my bedroom with no choices. It was partly my disability but not exclusively you know, none of us did much – we just didn’t or couldn’t. I was a very young 20, well-read yes, but with no hands on experience.” It was the politicised lyrics of Punk

music that really hit Penny – they were actually saying something. “And I saw that infamous Bill Grundy with the Sex Pistols and that was it.”

During a stay in hospital, Penny met Tamsin. “She was born and brought up in Walthamstow. We constantly wrote long letters to each other and had marathon phone calls and within a year of knowing each other we made a commitment to get a flat and move in together near her parents – this was around 1982. In those days this just wasn’t done.

Disabled people stayed with their parents or went into a home. We were like, No! We’re going to help each other, we’re going to make it happen, we don’t care what anyone says. Our flat was in Leyton. We were making music together. One of our bands, the Ugly Pygmies, were featured in the Waltham Forest Guardian.”

Like other young punks in the 1980s Penny and Tamsin created a fanzine.

“That punk DIY culture, we literally cut out and pasted actual physical paper and then got a mate who worked in an office to photocopy it. One fanzine became a glossy mag, Jamming! It had the strapline – Breaking down the barriers – this annoyed me because I kept thinking – you don’t know what real barriers are! So I wrote a

A Spoken Word Love Poem

by Penny Pepper Candlelight and stars making patterns quiver on the sea in a restaurant

by Hastings Pier.

I toy with my mackerel, full of thoughts of when it swam in its happy swimmy sea.

My lover’s blue eyes catch mine, misty hazel from Merlot.

He lifts my hand across the frosty linen tablecloth and says, I wrote you a poem.

Photo © Kaye Sayer-Mayers

I blush above my fish floating on the briny white plate.

letter and I poured myself into that letter – the star letter of the issue. I’d written that I really wanted to go and see my favourite band The Smiths but couldn’t imagine how I’d be able to get to or into the venue.

Writing that was liberating.”

Penny also wrote a letter to Morrissey.

“I told myself that if he replied, it would be ‘a sign’.

And he did, he wrote me a beautiful card that said ‘You write delightfully, a priceless gift.’ Morrissey saw Penny’s letter in Jamming and the next thing she knew, his management team got in touch with her to offer whatever was needed to ensure she got to the Smith’s gig at the Royal Albert Hall.

And so of course, she did.

Penny has so many amazing stories. To read some of them, you can buy her memoir First in the World Somewhere at waterstones.com

Tell me now, I sigh, what poetry lurks in that head behind those glinting eyes, what words will come from the upturn of your sweet mouth?

“I’d love more people to review my memoir and I’d like a literary agent too please!”

I still my breath.

The stars pause in their tiny brilliance.

Her first poetry collection, Come Home Alive comes out in September 2018.

The world waits.

Read her Guardian articles: theguardian.com/profile/ penny-pepper

pennypepper.co.uk @penpep

Tits! he says I love your tits!

Your bestest bits Is your tits, Fit tits, pert tits.

Tits to rate.

Your tits are fucking great!

I spear the cold mackerel through its belly, heart chilled and shaking, and wonder at the world.

13

E~DEN a Directory of Useful Services & Beautiful Things for the Home Get your garden in shape this Spring

Clive Meredeen Qualified gardener & designer Call 07976 946140

70 Hoe Street E17 4PG Wed-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 11am-4pm

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Walthamstow-based Small jobs welcome Free initial consultation www.clivemeredeengardendesign.co.uk

Need Help in the Garden?

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T.J.Ball & Co.

All your conveyancing needs under one roof

Buying a property is one of the biggest transactions of your life. It is essential to feel confident that you are making the right decisions as a result of the advice you receive.

Established in 1987, T.J. Ball & Co believe that when selling or buying your home you should receive quality independent advice from a qualified and experienced licensed conveyancer.

matt@tjball.co.uk 0208 5031100 www.tjball.co.uk 49 Leytonstone Road, Stratford E15 1JA 14 To advertise your business contact ads@theelist.co.uk

As endorsed on

Walthamstow Recommends Facebook group

Even in the depths of February, the warmth and charm of this stunning terraced house shine through. The first room on the ground floor is the dual aspect through lounge, where the beauty of the stripped floorboards are highlighted by the light flooding in from the bay and rear windows.

Perfectly positioned is the probably the best way to describe this house. What else could it possibly be, when it’s located within a hop and a skip (no jump required) of the Heathcote & Star pub, where the fries in beef dripping have to be tasted to be believed (no seriously, they really are that good).

17 February gallery 020 8520 9300 estates17.co.uk

Maynard Road E17 2 bed terraced house for sale Offers in excess of £675,000 Raglan Road E17 3 bed maisonette for sale Offers in excess of £400,000

Morgan Avenue E17 2 bed flat for sale Offers in region of £350,000 Shaftesbury Road E17 3 bed terraced house for sale Guide price £750,000

February 2018

10 February gallery 020 8539 4213 estates10.co.uk

Morley Road, Leyton E10 2 bed flat for sale Offers in excess of £435,000 Dyson Road, Leytonstone E11 2 bed flat for sale Offers in excess of £425,000

Richmond Road, Leytonstone E11 3 bed terraced house for sale Sstc £675,000

The kitchen diner is quite simply stunning, and frankly to say more about it than that would merely be to gild the lily. Upstairs there are three beautifully presented double bedrooms and a lovely family bathroom, complete with rainfall shower over the bath, whilst to the rear is a private garden, offering outdoor entertaining space (although perhaps a little later on in the year!)

Norton Road, Leyton E10 3 bed end terrace house for sale Guide price £560,000

40 Orford Road E17 9NJ 020 8520 9300

Beulah Road E17 2 bed cottage to rent £1,700 pcm (let agreed) The property boasts two large receptions on the ground floor with a modern bathroom, fully fitted kitchen/diner and private rear garden approx 60ft.

Maynard Road E17 2 bed house to rent £1,750 pcm The property is presented in immaculate fashion with a number of period features such as sash windows, feature fireplace and stripped wood flooring adding to the charm.

Lettings

17 February lettings

10 February lettings

185 Francis Road E10 6NQ 020 8539 4213

High Road Leyton E10 2 bed flat to rent £1,400 pcm Stylishly finished to the highest of standards is this ground floor two bedroom apartment. This popular residential location offers excellent access to schools, shops and local amenities.

Amethyst Road E15 2 bed house to rent £1,600 pcm Beautifully presented, with modern fitted kitchen and bathroom, as well as lounge, two double bedrooms and rear garden, this property is sure to be popular.

Barclay Road E17 2 bed house to rent £1,500 pcm

Francis Road E10 Shop to rent £1,250 pcm

This two bedroom Victorian property is situated in the heart of Walthamstow Village. It benefits from two double bedrooms, two reception rooms, a modern kitchen.

This shop unit on the recently pedestrianized Francis Road presents a great opportunity to be a part of the rapidly changing retail offering in this part of E10.

To advertise your business contact ads@theelist.co.uk 19

The Village & Blackhorse Ro Park & Bell Corn Street & Copper Leabridge Road The Central & Upper Waltha

020 8520 0033 info@central-estates.co.uk 179 Hoe Street London E17 3AP central-estates.co.uk

People often ask us what we love about Walthamstow and it’s never easy to answer because it has so much going for it: great transport links, outstanding schools, plenty of green space, a friendly local community and a thriving independant shop scene.

Pick up one of our maps which aims to share our love of the area by highlighting some of places that make it great.

Higham Hill oad Lloyd ner St. James rmill Lane d & Bakers Arms Wood Street amstow

“home sweet home�

The Art of Estate Agency 020 8503 6060 walthamstow@churchill-estates.co.uk www.churchill-estates.co.uk

FOR SALE

UPPER WALTHAMSTOW

|

Guide Price ÂŁ950,000 - ÂŁ1,000,000

Still retaining much of its original charm & character, we have pleasure in offering to the market this spacious Four Bedroom Semi-Detached Residence offering some 2000 sq ft of living accommodation, with 10 ft ceiling height to the ground floor.

From entering the property via its terracotta tiled entrance you are greeted by the entrance hall with original floorboards, cornice, corbels and dado rails, which gives direct access to the three reception rooms and the ground floor wet room.

To the first floor the property offers a spacious landing which gives direct access to all of the four bedrooms and master bathroom, the master bedroom features an en-suite shower room, walk-in wardrobe and balcony, whilst the rear bedroom enjoys an adjoining dressing room/study and personal roof terrace. Externally the property offers a mature rear garden which gives access to a useful storage area beneath the property and gated side access, whilst the property enjoys views over Epping Forest to the front. This spacious home also enjoying the opportunity for rear & loft extensions (STP).

Only by an internal inspection can this fine home be fully appreciated and this comes recommended without hesitation.

Sales

Lettings

141 Hoe Street, Walthamstow, London E17 3AL

2 Church Hill, Walthamstow, London E17 3AG

House Doctor Penny Fielding offers creative solutions to everyday niggles you may have with your home.

So, you’ve got to the point in your renovations where you are going to tackle the floor: you take up the old carpet and you find lovely old pine floorboards, which you decide to keep.

Re-inventing the original floor and using what you’ve already got with colour/stain/varnish is a relatively inexpensive option and there are lots of products on the market. Here are some ideas on what you can do next to get the finish and look that’s right for you and your home.

Before you get out the sanding machine you need to replace any badly damaged boards. Floorboards shrink with age and gaps appear between the planks. This needs to be resolved for a smooth and draught free finish. The gaps can either be filled or, if these are very

M ARSH

large, the boards taken up and re-laid butted up together with (a) new board(s) to fill the remaining space left. This is especially important if you are thinking of a light colour finish as the gaps will appear as dark lines. If your floor is really damaged and beyond restoration, a cheap option is to lay down sheet ply and paint or varnish. A sheet ply floor is the perfect surface to stencil with a faux chequered, or Moroccan tile for example, or you could stencil on your own rug design!

The painted floorboard is having a comeback and providing the paint you use has a hard-wearing finish, this can look fabulous, and is lovely underfoot. This look was very favoured in early American houses where stencilling was used to great effect.

Most of the light coming in to the room will hit the floor so consider this when choosing your colour.

Instead of a solid colour finish, the floor can be colour “washed” with a transparent white for example. This takes the edge off the golden yellow of the natural pine, leaving the grain of the wood showing through. Add rugs for a gorgeous job done.

What niggles you about your home?

Email penfielding@gmail.com with your thoughts.

To book a session with the House Doctor please email: penfielding@gmail.com or call 07725 645 359.

STREET

Mortgage advice that’s right up your street Marsh Street provides comprehensive mortgage advice for everyone. We source from a wide range of lenders and have access to a number of different products.

We pride ourselves on offering a friendly and high quality bespoke service that ensures that you are treated fairly at all times. We have the experience and ability to identify your needs, to cut through the fine print and explain the pros and cons of each product to make life easier for our customers.

Marsh Street was the original name of Walthamstow High Street where a number of large manor houses were used as weekend or summer retreats. Samuel Pepys’ bosses had houses here, and after visiting one of them Pepys described how they had drunk wine from a local vineyard and “the whole company said they never drank better foreign wine [than this one] in their lives”.

Not only will we help you find the right mortgage, but we will use our knowledge and expertise to ensure your mortgage transaction is completed swiftly and effectively, so you can concentrate on the other parts of buying your dream home.

Traditional values and good advice

M ARSH enquiries@marshstreetmortgages.co.uk 0208 509 8626 40 Orford Road, Walthamstow, London E17 9NJ

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

There will be a fee for the advice given, the exact amount will depend upon your circumstances but we estimate it will be £495 or 1%.

24 To advertise your business contact ads@theelist.co.uk

S

LOCAL HERO

Liz Fraser & The Limes

Photo © www.paultucker.co.uk

The intriguing Edwardian building at the bottom of Somers Road, E17, is home to The Limes, a truly enterprising space for children and young people to play and prosper. Mike Sims talks to its Chief Executive Liz Fraser. Portrait

by Paul Tucker.

So Liz, we know each other a bit but let’s imagine I’m new to the area – introduce me to The Limes. We’re a vibrant community-based charity that is passionate about inclusion and helping children and young people take the lead in making and shaping the services for them. We want the community to get to know our beneficiaries as people first and not for their disability.

We run play and youth groups, and Holiday Play and Teen schemes to give parents and children short breaks from one another. We run after-school sessions that are open to everyone, disabled or not, and we’ve set up parent toddler groups to engage the wider community in our mission. We also offer tailored training packages as an alternative to college for our ‘older’ young people.

That training sounds good – will you tell me more about it? I’m so excited by our employment schemes. It’s my background and I know how few options there are out there – how difficult it can be to build trust between an employer and a staff team, working with someone they may view as less ‘qualified’ than they are. I want to support young people in showing off their skills and creativity, and in finding their voice. That’s why we developed our ‘Creative Journeys’ project.

The young people who help devise our services are called ‘Makers and Shapers’.

When we asked them what they wanted from their Limes experience, they asked to set up small businesses – to earn some money and get a life! So, with the help of various funders, we piloted our ‘Zest Kitchen’ project: the seed was sown. We offer genuine opportunities for groups to work

together, to set up an enterprise, and to create and sell their products to us or to the public. Come to our monthly Sunday market and see for yourself!

Ah, so now you’re in retail? The Creative Journeys project is more than that – it’s a philosophy: we’re here to help children and young people do anything! We’re very lucky to have the support of the Council Leader Claire Coghill, formerly a Trustee at The Limes. When we told her about our plans to create an edible forest garden to supply our ‘Zest Kitchen’, she helped find us a piece of unused land, just across the road from The Limes. It gives the kids more space and options for growing and we’ve some exciting plans for the future, which pupils from Mission Grove School are also helping to bring to fruition.

What about you? What brought you to the borough in the first place? I started at The Limes in 2007 as a consultant fundraiser and a couple of months later I became the CEO when the-then manager left.

But how did you get started in the first place? While I was studying Film and English at what was the Polytechnic of North London, I’d often pass ‘The Workshop’ in Kentish Town and wonder what went on in there.

After I’d done my degree I went in to ask

and found myself volunteering at one of the Camden Society’s centres, helping adults with learning disabilities into employment; I later became the employment support worker.

Since then I’ve worked in Tower Hamlets as the Project Manager of an employment service, in Newham managing a social project and in Hackney on an EU social fund programme. The Limes was a new challenge as it was the first time I’d worked with children and young people.

And that was your introduction to Walthamstow? A friend at Barnardo’s introduced me to Andrea de Berker, who managed the Hamara project in Walthamstow. She was also The Limes’ founder and original Chair of Trustees and her enthusiasm was so infectious. We both strongly believed that working with children and young people means sticking with them until they are 25 years old. It’s one of the things that differentiates The Limes from other charities.

The Limes is fantastic but it’s also an ‘ordinary’ place, isn’t it? Somewhere for children and young people with special needs to make and meet friends and hare about… Absolutely – every child has the right to play, it’s a United Nations Convention. Play is so important – it’s how 25

we learn who we are, what we like, what to avoid! There are a tremendous range of skills involved in play.

You’ve been hugely successful getting grants from organisations like Children in Need and the Lottery but this money has to be spent on specific projects rather than day-to-day running. Raising your own funds through your current campaign must be a real help. All of us are very excited by the donations we’ve had to our campaign, and all the comments of support we’ve had from our lovely members and the wider community. It’s truly heartwarming to know what a difference we make to many people’s lives – from the new mum, who was isolated at home who is now connecting with people in the same position as her, to the young students volunteering to make us a water-capture facility on our new patch of land.

William Morris Hall is a very historic building. Can you tell us a bit about it and the use you make of it? It has an amazing history! One of the uses to which it was put was as a secular Sunday school and if you disregard the archaic language of the 10 Socialist Commandments that are displayed here, you see the mission and values don’t differ much.

For a recent project, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, we explored the toy-making industry in Walthamstow (one of the toy factories was just a few doors up from us). We took our young people along to Blackhorse Workshop, where they designed two templates (buses and penguins!) and made their own wooden toys. We got heaps of school children to decorate them for sale at our market. They are really beautiful and individual – there’s a lovely Leigh Bowery penguin among them! We worked closely with Vestry House Museum and our film about the project will be available from their collection very soon.

Ok, what about away from work – what do you love about Walthamstow? Erm – The Chequers pub! I also love the people here, it’s so community-minded. Dare I say, it reminds me of the late 1980s in Stoke Newington where I live. I love that you can always turn a corner or have a chat and discover another ‘secret’ place to explore.

Is there something about Walthamstow that makes it a good home for The Limes?

Well, I was once on a course with lots people from national charities. I introduced myself and The Limes and I was astonished that so many people knew us. Basically I think most people in the charity sector live here.

How do you relax away from the office?

My four-year-old border terrier Beatrice Pickle – Bea to her mates – takes me on long walks. I stop at the marshes in the morning on the way to work. I pop over to E17 for gigs and events. Bea loves coming to The Limes and believes she is guardian of the outside play area. It is pretty fantastic...

So, hopes and aspirations for 2018 and beyond? We’ve new recruits on our Board of Trustees and they are a fantastic bunch of people. Each has so much to offer and this will drive us forward to make sure we can become sustainable. We really need to fundraise to purchase the building from Barnardos. We’d like volunteers to work with our Marketing and Fundraising committees to help us generate more income and plug funding gaps. We think William Morris Hall is perfect for events and want to encourage the community to hire it out more. We’d also like more referrals to our ‘Creative Journeys’ project – to be a real alternative we need the local authority’s support. After all, the Council is looking for new employment options to satisfy the ‘Valuing People’ white paper and OFSTED. We’re here for kids who want to do something different, to help them flourish.

thelimes.org.uk

The Limes urgently needs your help. Donate at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/thelimese17

A SPOTTER’s Guide to LOCAL streetLIFE for Waltham Forest’s people watchers.

From a series by Walthamstow resident, illustrator Tom Gaul. instagram tomgaul_doodles

www.tomgaul.com 26

E~VOLVE a Directory for a Healthy Mind & Body Fitness & Sport Thursdays NEW Women-Only Boxercise Class St Andrews Church, St Andrews Road E17 6AR Boxercise is a non-contact boxing class. Newbies will be taught the basics and still have fun. Please bring a mat and arrive ten minutes early to fill in a physical health questionnaire.

7.30-8.30pm. £7, students/OAP/ unemployed £4.50.

Jackie 07717 330993 wegrantfitnessandhealth.co.uk Tuesdays & Fridays NEW Women-Only Outdoor Bootcamp Chestnuts Field, Waltham Forest Town Hall, Forest Road E17 4JF Fitness bootcamp with different exercises each session boxing, circuit etc all round fitness session. 6.307.15pm. £5.

Jackie 07717 330993 wegrantfitnessandhealth.co.uk Saturdays Kids Squash: All Levels Walthamstow Cricket, Tennis & Squash Club, 48a Greenway Avenue E17 3QN Fun Active Squash Academy are looking for new local kids to learn to play squash at this friendly sports club off Wood Street. 10.30-11.30am. £5. walthamstowsquashacademy.co.uk

Sundays This Mum Runs Walthamstow Meet in Lloyd Park, Forest Rd E17 4PP Free women’s group run! We are an award-winning community inspiring thousands of women to run together every week. Join us for a 30min run at the speed of chat. Your time. Your space. Your pace. 8-9am. FREE. thismumruns.co.uk Wednesdays This Mum Runs Leytonstone / Wanstead Meet on Wanstead Green, Wanstead E11 2NT As above but different day, time and venue. 7.30-8pm. FREE. Thursdays ChutneySOCA Sports Hall, Waltham Forest College, 707 Forest Rd E17 4JB Exciting fusion of SOCA, Afrobeats and Bhangra; the perfect, fusion of fitness, fun and well-being. Water provided.

7.15-8pm. £6. khyalarts.org.uk/chutney-soca-fitnessclass

finding it

?

hard to cope

Psychotherapy can help you overcome difficult situations and improve the quality of your life.

Valeria Bonfiglio Psychologist MBPsS

Tel 07912 887588 www.valeriabonfiglio.co.uk Offering a sliding scale of fees English and Spanish

Get the perfect career in 2018 Julie Greaves info@carrot-coaching.co.uk

carrot-coaching.co.uk

Saturdays Zumba Fitness All Saints Church, 47 Melbourne Road, Leyton E10 7HF Want to start getting fit this year?

Instead of an expensive gym membership you won’t use why not try Zumba for a good work out that’s still fun. 12-1pm. £4 or £35 for 10.

Andrea 07939 873518

PT studio, 5 minutes from Lloyd Park

To advertise your business contact ads@theelist.co.uk 27

Yoga, Meditation & Tai Chi Friday 2 February NEW Free Flow Yoga Leyton Yoga, First Floor (above USSR), 691 High Road, Leyton E10 6RA On the first Friday of the month, long play yoga practice. Time to breathe, move and sit. 7-8.30. £12, advance booking recommended. leytonyoga.com/schedule Saturdays NEW Hatha Yoga for Beginners The Mill, 7-11 Coppermill Lane E17 7HA An energizing Hatha yoga sequence, focusing on basic alignment and postures for beginners. Expect some deep stretching followed by a dynamic sequence with a long relaxation at the end. 9.30-10.30am. £10.

Sarah 07584 054686 Wednesdays Tai Chi for Health and Balance Leytonstone United Free Church, 55 Wallwood Road E11 1AY Learn Tai Chi in a fun, comfortable environment. Suitable for all, any fitness level. Beginners welcome! Please wear loose, comfortable clothing.

12.30-1.15pm. £8.

Gemma 07916 334670 taichi_e11@outlook.com Events marked

kid friendly

Saturdays NEW Iyengar Yoga class St Andrews Church, St Andrews Road E17 6AR Suitable for everyone regardless of age and flexibility Iyengar yoga’s benefits include improved posture, stamina and flexibility; it relieves tension, promotes sleep, peace of mind and good health.

9-10am. £9, or £45 for 6.

Nicholette 07962 424460 Tuesdays NEW Scaravelli-inspired Hatha Yoga Leyton Yoga, First Floor (above USSR), 691 High Road, Leyton E10 6RA Scaravelli yoga is a form of Hatha with a focus on breathing, gravity and the awakening of the spine. No pre-booking required, just drop-in. All welcome. 7-8am. £10, or 10 for £90. leytonyoga.com/schedule Tuesdays NEW Meet the Diviner WF Community Hub, 18a Orford Road E17 9LN Meet the Diviner Freya Ingva, visiting consultant of the Waltham Forest Reiki Project. Have the opportunity to receive Reiki by a qualified and dedicated practitioner and/or make use of her divining skills. 7-9pm. FREE but donations welcome for WF Reiki Project. freyaingva.com

For more dance and fitness classes please visit theelist.co.uk

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Capturing nature Contemporary art meets wildlife and science as Walthamstow Wetlands creates a series of exciting new opportunities for artists. Karen Dunn finds out about their innovative arts programme set in unique and relaxing surroundings…

Taking a wander through the newly opened Wetlands is a great way to take time to reflect in the peace and quiet as well as a way to inspire your creativity.

Wetlands Contemporary Using the vibrant habitat as inspiration Waltham Forest’s new arts initiative, Wetlands Contemporary, will see a series of public art exhibitions across the entire site including

displays in the stunning Victorian Engine House.

The exhibitions are in place to encourage people, young and old, to use the space to not only to enjoy the art on display, but to encourage use of the serene surroundings for peaceful contemplation away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

The first exhibition to fill the space is from artist Jacques Nimki. His work, currently on

28 To advertise your business contact ads@theelist.co.uk

A working image by Jaques Nimki. His installation is a collection of these models, ‘tumbling’ from the Swift Tower, giving the appearance of the outdoor coming in.

display in the Swift Tower and the mezzanine floor of the Engine House, is a cascade of plants created from card, paper and vinyl. The sculptural forms give the impression of delicate and intricate plants with their tendrils descending the walls, bringing the plant life outside to within the brick walls.

Creating new work in response to the information held in local and national archives, as well as suggestions by site users and staff, the artists will interpret historical, scientific and environmental ideas specific to the site, placing Walthamstow Wetlands within a national and global context.

In addition Jacques is also exhibiting a series of landscape drawings of the sky and water, which challenges perceptions of how we view our surroundings and ourselves.

The drawings are given a twist - and a link to the local environment - by being created on Izal medicated toilet tissue.

The paper, which was first produced in the 1870s, is a prime example of one of the many consumer products which have a close relationship with the water in the reservoirs.

The first artist taking up residence is Nisha Duggal who starts work on site this month until April and will focus on the theme of migration. Nisha plans to explore “a symphony of migration” looking at not just birds and nature who temporarily make their homes in the Wetlands, but the movement of local people and the different languages spoken throughout the site from bird song to regional dialects.

Whether you wish to observe the wildlife, cycle, run, walk, volunteer, birdwatch or fish, there’s something for everyone in the Wetlands and the new programme hopes to bring all the different users together to explore the area even deeper.

Artist in residence Growing the borough’s Artist In Residence programme already in place at the William Morris Gallery, Europe’s largest urban wetland nature reserve has launched an exciting opportunity for artists to help engage audiences with both nature and science.

Nisha will be on site at least two days a week meeting visitors to the site and delivering events, workshops, open studios, guided walks and more.

A working image by Jaques Nimki.

With artists handing over the baton to fellow creatives, Wetlands Contemporary hopes to create another way in which visitors can explore themes of nature, environment, wildlife and society’s ever-changing interaction with them, helping us all better connect with the nature reserve on our doorstep.

walthamstowwetlands.com

Running for the next three years, the Artist in Residence programme will see different artists interacting, collaborating and engaging with both the natural environment as well as the wide variety of different people making the most of the site.

Selected artists will be using a variety of mediums to explore subjects and themes, which are integral to the reserves.

Nisha Duggal – #fishing (study), ink and watercolour on paper, 40x40cm, 2013.

To advertise your business contact ads@theelist.co.uk 29

Definition: things that are strange; queer; odd; uncommon; unusual; distinctive in nature or character from others; characteristic of; belonging exclusively to an area. Architectural historian, Karen Averby seeks out such things from this corner of London’s rich and varied past

The Virgin Queene in Chingford?

A school-trip, bank-holiday and weekend staple, Queen Elizabeth’s Hunting Lodge is a familiar Chingford landmark, located on Dannett’s Hill at the edge of Epping Forest, standing between Butlers Retreat and Premier Inn. It was not built for Elizabeth as the name implies, but was commissioned by her father, Henry VIII, and was completed in 1543.

Originally called Great Standynge (Little Standynge stood in the High Beech area), it was a grandstand, or standing, allowing observation of the Hunt at Fairmead Park, a royal deer park ordered by Henry to be created between Chingford and the manors of Chigwell and Loughton following the dissolution of Waltham Abbey and the acquisition of its lands by Henry.

Constructed from massive oak timbers, this impressive threestorey substantial building was open at the upper storeys for viewing purposes, with an integral stair tower. Unlike today’s whitewashed appearance, and an earlier black and white 30

faux-Tudor style beloved of the Victorians, the building was originally brightly painted, with red-painted timbers, white infill panels, and colourful walls.

Henry died in 1545 having never visited Great Standynge, and Fairmead was subsequently disparked. The standing fell into disrepair although it was restored under Elizabeth I; she is traditionally believed to have visited at least once, supposedly

riding her horse up the stairs on one occasion. This certainly makes a good story, but there are no official records supporting the claim of a Royal visit. Elizabeth’s successor, James I, hunted from his palace in Enfield and although he may have visited the standing during the Hunt, this is also unproven.

Many traditions associated with the Royal Forest ended during the rule of Cromwell, and the standing ceased to be used for hunting purposes. When the Crown was restored, the old traditions did not return. Land adjoining the building was sold by the Crown and became part of Chingford Earls Manor, although the standing remained Crown property. The upper viewing spaces were eventually filled-in, the timber frame was rendered with plaster and small windows were inserted at each level. The building became residential as Keeper’s Lodge and Bailiff’s House, although the upper floors were occasionally used for Forest and Manor Courts.

The Corporation of London acquired the Lodge in the later nineteenth century and renovations between 1882 and 1900 included new windows, the removal of the plaster, and the addition of decorative timbers and bargeboards. The Lodge was used as a Museum, although the ground floor and middle

rooms were residential until 1926.

Subsequent alterations to the stairtower were undertaken and some external walls were replaced, and extensive renovations were undertaken in the 1990s when the building was found to be in a poor state of repair. Despite the many alterations over the years the main structure remains surprisingly intact and the Lodge is a rare and early survivor of its type. And it’s on our doorstep.

Visiting details: cityoflondon.gov. uk/things-to-do/ www.archangelheritage.co.uk

House Histories Have you ever wondered who used to live in your house, or how it has changed over time?

Packages telling the story of your house available to suit all budgets.

For a FREE consultation email Karen Averby info@archangelheritage.co.uk www.archangelheritage.co.uk/house-histories

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discount for EList readers (Quote REFELIST)

A Voice Like Velvet

Walthamstow Diary

a love poem by Mhairi McGhee

Between forest and marsh lies the glorious Stow.

These are the tales and meanderings of a proud resident of E17

He walked in, stood there like a normal bloke But when he opened his mouth, breathed in and spoke it flooded out all down his suit, all over the desk - a verbal cloak

As a confirmed E17 addict, I don’t mind telling you that I was pretty excited when I first heard about the plans for the Walthamstow Wetlands.

I went on a couple of guided tours of the site and engine house long before the wetlands opened, I was like a kid in a sweet shop. I trotted along behind the guy running the tour like an excited springer spaniel, taking a million photos as I went. Since it opened I’ve been loads of times. I love exploring the different paths, climbing up the old Coppermill Tower, and marvelling at the industrial grandeur that is the engine house. But it seems not everyone is as happy about the Wetlands opening as I am.

Oh what a voice! Such beauty in a single word!

‘Hi’ he said to the air between us We exchanged sounds, gestures, looks That velvety voice, smooth like a Galaxy chocolate ad I melted in a swirl in front of his face He was needed upstairs ‘So long! Make haste!’

I will loiter outside the meeting room, in the hope that I will have him.

Undying Love a love poem by Barry Coidan i hold this photograph of the two of us looking sheepish as if caught stealing a piece of pie it was nothing so dramatic just a moment in a cafe on an afternoon a great distance away you warm and gorgeous your hand touching my face and i cannot understand how all that now remains of you is a photograph.

There’s a bit of negativity that has been bubbling along since it opened.

Some are angry about runners, cyclists and walkers not sticking to the paths. There has been criticism about the amount of litter being dropped. And most of all, there are concerns that the sheer number of people visiting will impact the wildlife. In general, the feeling from some seems to be that wildlife and people shouldn’t be mixing. There’s no doubt that striking a balance between people and wildlife is going to be tricky, but it isn’t impossible. There’s a reserve in Lancashire called Brockholes, that not only has visitors wandering around, but is also right next to the M6 motorway, and it’s thriving.

In an ideal world of course, wildlife should be left to live its life without humans gawping at it. Problems is, if you keep open spaces and wildlife locked away, people don’t get to see just how wonderful it is, and they may not understand why it should be protected. Sites like the Wetlands offer people, particularly city dwellers, an invaluable chance to see exactly what’s at risk from the actions of Humans.

The Wetlands has the potential to teach generations to come the value of the natural world. We should embrace it for the magnificent opportunity that it is, not criticise it for some teething problems in their early days. walthamstowdiary.com To advertise your business contact ads@theelist.co.uk 31

ART

BOOKS

CRAFTS

FITNESS

This month in town

February

Exhibitions & weekly events Arts, crafts & film Until 25 February No Ordinary Bicycle Vestry House Museum, Vestry Road E17 9NH Exploring Walthamstow-born John Kemp Starley’s key role in the development of the modern bicycle and celebrating the bicycle’s consequent social impact on health, social mobility and sustainability.

Weds-Sun 10am-5pm. FREE. vestryhousemuseum.org.uk 2-25 February NEW GOMACG serendipity Walthamstow Village Window Gallery, 47 Oxford Road E17 9NJ This month’s E List cover star’s inspiration is vivid street art portraiture amongst the transitory graphics of stickers, adverts, posters and graffiti. PV Thursday 1 Feb 7-9pm. Visible daylight hours and lit until midnight. FREE. wvwg.co.uk 8 Feb-4 March NEW Finding the Goddess by Rachel Bailey The Stone Space, 6 Church Lane, Leytonstone E11 1HG Textile structures by Rachel Bailey exploring the nature of goddess imagery and female influences in mythology and folklore. Thurs-Fri 2-6pm, Sat 12-5pm, Sun 12-4pm. FREE. thestonespace.wordpress.com Until 17 March NEW Diaspora Dialogue #2 Stow Brothers, 236 Hoe Street E17 3AY An exhibition showcasing art from an African Caribbean perspective. Mon-Sat 10am-5pm. FREE. aliciadean-artworks.co.uk Until 3 March Memories Exhibition The Mill, 7-11 Coppermill Lane E17 7HA An exhibition bringing together artists of all ages; expressions of past feelings, thoughts, relationships and landscapes.

Tues-Fri: 9.30am-6pm. Sat-Sun: 10am-2pm. FREE. themille17.org Thursdays Throwback Thursdays Film Night at The Birds The Birds, 692 High Road Leytonstone, E11 3AA Classic and FREE showings of films with good food and drink and great company. Check Facebook for full list and start times. FREE entry. facebook.com/pg/thebirdsleytonstone

Books & writing Wednesdays NEW Writers’ Workshop The Northcote, 110 Grove Green Rd E11 4EL Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned scribbler, come along every Wednesday where local writer Andrew Fraser will be helping to squeeze out those creative juices. Bring a pad and pen. 8-9pm.

FREE, donations appreciated.

07857 989957 bistobovril@mail.com

Music, theatre & singing Sundays Drag Out The Weekend The Northcote, 110 Grove Green Road E11 4EL Drag, cabaret, comedy and disco with some of the most fabulous drag queens on the circuit. 7-10.30pm. FREE. thenorthcotee11.com Mondays Blues Jam Luna Lounge, 7 Church Lane, Leytonstone E11 1HG Feel free to join in or just enjoy our new weekly blues jam! 8.30-midnight. FREE. lunalounge.info/events-calendar Thursdays NEW The Funky Corner The Bell, 617 Forest Road/Chingford Road E17 4NE DJ O’Chez plays three hours of funk, soul, latin, Northern Soul, jazz, R’n’B, reggae, Rare Groove, rock, disco, hip hop, soundtracks and guilty pleasures; all on vinyl. 9pm-midnight. FREE. belle17.com Fridays Hornbeam Nights The Hornbeam Cafe, 458 Hoe Street E17 9AH Local DJ nights most Fridays. Check website for updates. We support local artists and musicians who want to put on their nights, so get in touch. 7.3011pm. FREE. hornbeamnights@gmail.com Tuesdays East Side Jazz Club Leytonstone Ex-servicemens Club, 2 Harvey Road, Leytonstone E11 3DB Weekly modern jazz club hosted by drummer Clive Fenner. 8.30-11pm. £6, cash on the door only. eastsidejazzclub.blogspot.com Sundays (term time) Natural Voices: Advanced Teen Plus Choir Orford House Social Club, 73 Orford Road E17 9QR Choir for teens and singers who love harmony and great contemporary music. 12-1pm.

FAMILY

FILM

FOOD/DRINK

OUTDOORS

Wednesdays NEW The Rose & Crown Singers Ye Olde Rose & Crown Theatre Pub, 53 Hoe Street E17 4SA Friendly community choir singing a musical mix of folk, drinking songs and something more modern. Try us out no audition or experience needed, just drop by. 7.30-9.30pm. £5. theroseandcrownsingers.org.uk

Thursdays Jazz Up Thursdays Luna Lounge, 7 Church Lane, Leytonstone E11 1HG Every Thursday Luna offers a great range of talented musicians. Expect anything from classical jazz or modern, a gig or a jam. 7pm-midnight. FREE. lunalounge.info/events-calendar

Mondays (term time only) Sing17 Community Choir Orford House Social Club, 73 Orford Road E17 9QR Join our thriving, 3 year old, choir. All abilities, absolutely no auditions. Drop in and join in. Inclusive, informal, fun.

7.30-9pm. £8, £7 in adv, FREE taster.

Laura 07813 686980 sing17.com

Fridays Lloyd Park Conservation Volunteers’ Green Gym Meeting outside the stables, Lloyd Park, Forest Road E17 4PP De-stress in the great outdoors, learn new skills, meet new people. The Green Gym enables volunteers to get physically active whilst improving the environment and their local community. 10.45am2pm. FREE. Gareth Chalmers 07731 450839 www2.tcv.org.uk

Mondays Waltham Forest Community Choir St Mary’s Church Walthamstow, Church End E17 9RL A friendly choir with a wide-ranging repertoire. No audition required. 7.309.30pm. Subscription £50 per term, FREE taster.

07954 740745 singwithus.net Sundays (term time) Natural Voices: Senior Youth Choir for ages 8-12 Orford House Social Club, 73 Orford Road E17 9QR Fun, funky choir singing a wide range of fun and modern songs.

11am-12pm. £6 a week, concession available for block payments.

Lizzy Renihan 07950 204338 naturalvoices.co.uk Tuesdays Singer-Songwriters’ Night with Guests Luna Lounge, 7 Church Lane, Leytonstone E11 1HG Every Tuesday come and see some great unsigned, talented performers.

Different each week. 8-11pm. FREE. lunalounge.info/events-calendar Wednesdays Choir17 Walthamstow CentrE17, 1 Church Hill E17 3AB Mixed choir with a focus on feeling great and sounding great. Fun sessions, of rock, indie, soul and pop. No need to read music, just need a love for singing!

Adults only. 7-8.30pm. First 3 sessions FREE, then £9. Enquire first.

Rosie 07789 908483 choir17.com Wednesdays (term time only) WAVE Community Choir Harmony Hall, 10 Truro Road E17 7BY We’re funky, jazzy and recruiting. All welcome, no auditions. Jazz, gospel, classical, folk etc. 7.30-9.30pm. First rehearsal FREE, then £10, £8 conc.

Virginia Firnberg 07813 116505

Outdoors

Wednesdays Chingford Conservation Volunteers’ Green Gym Ridgeway Park, The Ridgeway, Old Church Road, Chingford E4 6XU As above except different venue and time. 10am-1pm. FREE.

Quizzes, Games & Social Wednesdays NEW Big Quiffy Quiz The Birds, 692 High Road, Leytonstone E11 3AA Boogaloo Stu, portfolio artist; a presenter, performer, DJ and theatre-maker, hosts his rumpus quiz nights at the Birds every Wednesday.

Get excited for a different kind of mid-week experience. Rolling Jackpot and an array of weird and wonderful prizes. 8pm start. £2 per player. thebirds.pub/events Tuesdays Quiz Night The Heathcote and Star 344 Grove Green Road E11 4EA Our very own dynamic duo, Carl and Jam will be hosting proceedings. Expect laughs, lively debate and the occasional lewd question. £50 1st prize. 8pm start. £2 per player, max of 6 per team.

Tables bookable online. heathcoteandstar.co.uk/bookings Wednesdays Leyton Technical Quiz Night 265b High Road Leyton E10 5QN 8pm start. £2 each. leytontechnical.com Thursdays NEW Seniors Club WF Community Hub, 18a Orford Road E17 9LN Make new friends at this friendly over 60s group. We have tea and biccies, play bingo; games; organise trips and more.

2.30-4pm. £2, includes refreshments.

Sandra 020 8223 0707 wfchub.org/home Events marked

kid friendly

32 The E List makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information it publishes, but cannot be held responsible for any consequences arising from errors or omissions. Please confirm with the venue before setting out.

HISTORY

MUSIC

Wednesdays The Big Fat Quiz The Dog & Duck, 222 Chingford Road, E17 5AL Max 6 people per team. 7.30-9.30pm. £2 per person. dogandduck-e17.co.uk Wednesdays The Big Fat Quiz The Duke, 112 Wood St E17 3HX Max 6 people per team. 7.30-9.30pm. £2 per person.. thedukee17.com Thursdays Hornbeam Nights: Thursdays The Hornbeam Cafe, 458 Hoe Street E17 9AH Check out our website for details of this Thursdays musical, poetic, creative or foodie shenanigans. 7-11pm. FREE. hornbeamnights@gmail.com hornbeam.org.uk/events Wednesdays NEW Youth Club Priory Court Community Centre, 11 Priory Court, South Countess Road E17 5NB A weekly club for 11 to 19 year olds.

Great way to make new friends - table tennis; PS3; pool; arts and crafts and trips. 4.30-6.30pm. FREE. Sandra 020 8223 0707 wfchub.org/home Mondays & Fridays NEW Youth Club WF Community Hub, 18a Orford Road E17 9LN As above except different day & venue.

Mondays & Thursdays Waltham Forest Bridge Club WF Community Hub, 18A Orford Road E17 9LN Looking for a bridge club, or a social player wanting to try club bridge? Not got a partner come along on Mondays.

7.15-10.30pm. £5, £4 for members. bridgewebs.com/walthamforest

Family & Young People Tuesdays The Baby Group Leyton Jubilee Park, Seymour Road/Marsh Lane, Leyton E10 7BL A welcoming, local parent-run group for you and your baby. Friendly chat, support, cake and a range of activities available for 0-24 months. 9-11am. £1 for first child, 50p per subsequent child. facebook.com/TheBabyGroupLeyton Fridays Mini Musicians for Babies & Toddlers Waltham Forest Music Service, 12 Church Hill E17 3AG Music making classes taught by Early Years Music specialists includes singing, dancing and an exciting range of instruments. £65.50 for 10 week term. walthamforest.gov.uk/music-service

SHOPPING

THEATRE

Weekdays (Term time only) Bongalong Music Movement & Make Believe for Under 1s & Under 5s. Venues: Greenleaf Road Baptist Church; The Scout Hall, Wood Street; The Quaker Meeting House, Jewel Road and St Mary’s Welcome Centre, Church End. 45 minutes of fun, creative music, movement and make believe - a lively mix of singing, dancing, let’s pretend and fab percussion instruments. Check website for days/times. £6.50 per session booked per term. FREE trial. bongalong.co.uk Saturdays Waltham Forest Bilingual Group The Limes Community and Children’s Centre, 6 Somers Road E17 6RX Workshop and play session with tips for parents raising their children with several languages, and share experiences with others over coffee while the children enjoy The Limes’ fantastic facilities. 4.30-6.30pm. FREE. wfbilingual.org.uk Saturdays NEW Local Art Club Frederick Bremer Secondary School, Siddeley Road E17 4EY For 9-19 year olds. Taught by a qualified art teacher and examiner. GCSE and ‘A’Level advice and fun projects to develop individual skills. Please email your name and age to secure your place. 10.30am-1pm. £15.

Alison Paine a.paine@bremer.waltham.sch.uk

Y SATURDA

10 MARCH

LAKE OF STARS LONDON

MALAWI’S LAKE OF STARS FESTIVAL IS COMING TO E17 MUSIC • FILM • THEATRE • POETRY FREE DAYTIME ACTIVITIES 10AM-5PM, FAMILY-FRIENDLY HOE STREET & WOOD STREET THE DUKE E17 WOODSIDE SCHOOL ST MARY’S MUSIC HALL CENTRE17 EMPIRE CINEMA MIRTH, MARVEL & MAUD EKCOVISION YE OLDE ROSE & CROWN

TICKETED EVENING CONCERT 5PM-11.45PM WAH17 (ASSEMBLY HALL), FOREST ROAD

M.ANIFEST GHANA FRIGHTENED RABBIT SCOTLAND (STRIPPED BACK SET) FAITH MUSSA MALAWI ZATHU MALAWI WEZI ZAMBIA PLUS MORE EVENTBRITE TICKETS ON SALE 20 JAN

LAKEOFSTARS.ORG @LAKEOFSTARS

Tuesdays NEW Kids and Parents Art & Craft Sessions Homemade Community Cafe, Higham Hill Park E17 5QT For children aged 1-5 and their parents.

Let your child roll out, fold, cut and stick using playdough, cardboard and other materials that are provided. 10-11am. £3 for first child, 50p for siblings. yaniresd.com

GOMACG serendipity 2-25 February 2018 FREE exhibition Open daily during daylight hours and lit until midnight 47 Orford Road London E17 9NJ

5 Thursdays from 22 Feb Junior Art Club The Mill, 7-11 Coppermill Lane E17 7HA Fun and informative class for ages 6 and over. We work with clay, card, paper, colour and paints. Can be messy!

Booking essential. Under 8s must be accompanied. 4-5pm. £2. themill-coppermill.org

Preview Evening Thurs 1 Feb 7-9pm

Wednesdays Creation Station Froth & Rind, 37 Orford Road E17 9NL For children 15months-5yrs. Inspire your child’s imagination and nurture their creativity with fun, hands-on art and crafts. Other classes available for younger children. 10-10.45pm. £9, discounts for block bookings. thecreationstation.co.uk For directions, more information about the gallery or to contact us visit wvwg.co.uk

Events marked

kid friendly

FREE listings are available for events under £16, visit theelist.co.uk and select “List your event”.

To advertise your business contact ads@theelist.co.uk 33

ART

BOOKS

Family & Young People continued Thursdays Baby Discover/Little Explorers Once Upon a Time Book Cafe, Station Road, off St James Street E17 8AA From the creators of Creation Station above 10am-12pm. £9, discounts for block bookings.

Fridays Baby Discover/Little Explorers LLoyd Park Community Room, Forest Road E17 4PP From the creators of Creation Station above 10am-12pm. £9, discounts for block bookings.

Food, markets & shopping Saturdays NEW Hornbeam Nights: Supper Club The Hornbeam Centre, 458 Hoe Street E17 9AH Saturday nights are generally pop-up Vegan Supper Club nights, but please check website before setting out.

7-11pm. Prices vary per dish. hornbeam.org.uk/events Saturdays Leyton Food Market Coronation Gardens, High Road Leyton E10 5NG Weekly, family-friendly market offering food and drink from all corners of the world, plus arts and crafts and musical entertainment too. 10am-4pm. leytonfoodmarket.com Saturdays E17 Village Market Waltham Forest Community Hub, 18a Orford Road E17 9LN Local residents and micro businesses, showcase the best in artisan produce, international street food, homeware, clothing and gifts. 10.30am-3.30pm. facebook.com/e17villagemarket Sundays Farmers’ Market Town Square, Walthamstow E17 4HU A changing, seasonal selection of produce, food and drink. 10am-2pm. lfm.org.uk/markets/walthamstow Saturdays Community Local Produce Stall St John’s Church, Church Lane E11 1HG Delicious, locally grown organic fruit and vegetables, and other local produce for sale. 10.30am-3pm. transitionleytonstone.org.uk Saturdays OrganicLea Market Stall The Hornbeam Centre, 458 Hoe Street E17 9AH Organic and local sustainably grown fruit, vegetables, homemade bread, jams and preserves. 10am-3pm. organiclea.org.uk Events marked

kid friendly

CRAFTS

DANCE/FITNESS

FAMILY

FILM

Hornbeam Nights presents Cosmic Sounds The Hornbeam Cafe, 458 Hoe Street E17 9AH A selection of dub and smooth grooves plus new jazz, deep house and garage.

Happy Hour from 7.30pm. 7.3011.30pm. FREE. hornbeamnights@gmail.com

Retro Games The Red Lion, 640 High Road Leytonstone E11 3AA On the first Sunday of the month enjoy retro consoles, retro board games and beer. 4-10pm. £2 on the door. theredlionleytonstone.com/events

Calendar of events

Rush Job The Coppermill Pub, 205 Coppermill Lane E17 7HF Steve Rushton, John Garner and the gang are back, improvising and generally making it up as they go along.

8.30-11pm. FREE. coppermillpub.wordpress.com

Tiny Treasures Ye Olde Rose & Crown, 53 Hoe Street E17 4SA For babies up to 6 months. Create a special keepsake canvas baby and clay footprint. Refreshments and materials included. 10.30am-12pm. £15. thecreationstation.co.uk

Thursday 1

Saturday 3

Open Mic Night The Coppermill Pub, 205 Coppermill Lane E17 7HF Come down a play a tune or have a jam in a chilled, relaxed and enthusiastic setting. High Quality Audio recording for every performer. 8.30-11.30pm. FREE. geniusjohn.com

SPOTTED AN ERROR? PLEASE LET US KNOW Email corrections to listings@theelist.co.uk

GOMACG serendipity Walthamstow Village Window Gallery, 47 Orford Road E17 9NJ Opening night drinks for an exhibition by this month’s E List cover star. 7-9pm.

Continues until 25 Feb. Visible daylight hours and lit until midnight. FREE. wvwg.co.uk

Closet Vinyl The Northcote, 110 Grove Green Road E11 4EL A fully interactive DJ experience where everyone is welcome to play on the decks. Bring your own vinyl, choose from the selection in-house, or just come along for a boogie. Bring/Play/ Party. 7.30pm-12am. FREE. thenorthcotee11.com

Red Imp presents Robin Ince and Michael Legge Ye Olde Rose & Crown Theatre Pub, 53 Hoe Street E17 4SA Star of Radio 4’s Infinite Monkey Cage Robin returns to E17 with his most excellent sidekick Michael. This show will be a belter, book early as it will sell out. 8.30-10.30pm. £13.50. redimpcomedy.com

Pepe Belmonte Band / Tupelo Uncles What’s Cookin’, Leytonstone Ex-servicemen’s Club, 2 Harvey Road E11 3DB Musical influence meanders through Irish, Malian and Hawaiian folk to the pre-war blues of Chicago along The Delta and down through the lyrical landscape of Dylan, Mitchell and Young. 8.30-11pm. FREE. whatscookin.co.uk

The SwingTime Serenaders Ye Olde Rose & Crown, 53 Hoe Street E17 4SA Wonderful swing band with fab lead singer. 9-11pm. FREE.

Friday 2 Kid’s Book Drop for charity, Give A Book Tidy Books Offices, 10 Hatherley Mews E17 4QP Donate pre-loved children’s books via Tidy Books HQ for registered charity Give A Book who redistribute them to school book clubs. 10am-5pm. giveabook.org.uk Hanoi Ca Phe: Vietnamese Pop-Up Mother’s Ruin Gin Palace, Unit 18 Ravenswood Industrial Estate, Shernhall Street E17 9HQ Gina’s nourishing and delicious Vietnamese loveliness is back at the Gin Palace. Veggie options available.

No booking, just turn up and tuck in.

6-10pm. Prices vary. mothersruin.net Horsemeat Sandwich presents another glorious night of noisy guitars and dubious behaviour!

Sinbin at The Plough & Harrow, 419 High Road, Leytonstone E11 4JU Live noisy punky rock from Cowboy Flying Saucer (angular Fall-esque space punk bricktop) and MeatSpoon who play snotty punk rock, just like it should be. 8-11pm. FREE.

Sunday 4 Get Drawing! The Mill, 7-11 Coppermill Lane E17 7HA A relaxing, fortnightly two hours of drawing for adults - sorry no children.

An opportunity to work on still-life.

All abilities welcome, some tuition available or work alone. Basic materials provided. 11am-1pm. £4. themille17.org Stow Film Lounge presents BICYCLE THIEVES (1948, Cert U) Mirth, Marvel & Maud, 186 Hoe Street E17 4QH Landmark Italian neo-realist drama set in depressed post WWII Italy about an unemployed man whose bicycle is stolen. He and his son walk the streets of Rome looking for it. Doors 2.15pm, film 2.30pm. £7.50/£5.50 conc. Buy on the door or online at via billetto. co.uk stowfilmlounge.com Lynne Heraud & Pat Turner at Walthamstow Folk Ye Olde Rose & Crown, 53 Hoe Street E17 4SA Lovely harmony singing on material that ranges from the biggest ballad to the silliest ditty, this is always a ball.

7.30-10.30pm. £8, £6 unwaged. walthamstowfolk.co.uk

Monday 5

Red Imp presents Mark Steel Ye Olde Rose & Crown Theatre Pub, 53 Hoe Street E17 4SA Star of his Radio 4 ‘In Town’ show and The News Quiz, Mark will be warming up for his forthcoming UK tour (material *may* be repeated from his summer warm-ups with us). 8.3010.30pm. £15. redimpcomedy.com

Tuesday 6 Muddy Waters Comedy Leyton Technical, 265b High Road Leyton E10 5QN Hosted by Trev Tokabi - Muddy Waters brings you the finest comedians including Radu Isac, Athena Kugblenu, Daphna Baram, Carmen Ali and Darran Griffiths. 7.30pm. Pay what you like! leytontechnical.com/whats-on Red Imp presents Mark Steel Ye Olde Rose & Crown Theatre Pub, 53 Hoe Street E17 4SA Details as Monday 5

Wednesday 7 Under 5s Nature Explorers: Chinese New Year Animals Aveling Centre, Lloyd Park, Forest Road E17 4PP Begining with a simple craft then a ramble in the park before more stories and a healthy snack. 10am-12.30pm.

FREE, donations welcome.

Jon Byrd / Neil Bob Herd What’s Cookin’, Leytonstone Ex-servicemen’s Club, 2 Harvey Road E11 3DB “Mature songwriting is married to some classy playing, whilst warm, slightly gruff but very relaxed singing with songs about heartbreak and regret” wrote No Depression. 8.3011pm. FREE with collection. whatscookin.co.uk

34 The E List makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information it publishes, but cannot be held responsible for any consequences arising from errors or omissions. Please confirm with the venue before setting out.

FOOD & DRINK

OUTDOORS

Pixie presents Cabaret at the William Morris Bar William Morris Bar, 807-811 Forest Road E17 4JD Jerk chicken and rice available before 8.30pm with drag sensation Carmen Dioxide on at 9pm. 7pm-12am. £5.

Stow Roses Women’s Institute Walthamstow Trades Hall, 61-63 Tower Hamlets Road E17 4RQ It’s the Stow Roses quiz night, please email for an invitation. NB there are stairs into venue. 7.30-9pm. £5 guest entry, annual membership £41. stowroses@yahoo.co.uk stowroseswi.org.uk

Thursday 8 Nico Songs They Don’t Play On The Radio Waterstones, The Mall E17 7JR Author of the classic rock memoir James Young in conversation with Helen Donlon about the enigmatic chanteuse. 7-9pm. £6.

Waterstones 020 8521 3669 Stow Film Lounge & ICA present PLAYBACK SHORTS Centre17, 1 Church Hill E17 3AB New and exciting short films by emerging young filmmakers, aged 16-24, that poke and prod at contemporary life. Doors 6.15pm, films 6.30pm followed by Q&A. Close 7.45pm. FREE tickets via billetto.co.uk stowfilmlounge.com

Friday 9 Soweto Kinch / Bad Honey St Mary’s Music Hall, Church End E17 9RL Kinch is a multi-award-winning saxophonist, MC and composer specialising in a unique trademark style of jazz, rap and spoken word. 6.3011pm. £15. stmarysmusichall.co.uk Peep Show Quiz The Red Lion, 640 High Road Leytonstone E11 3AA Hosted by Big Mad Andy. 8pm start.

Tickets £5, available from billetto.co.uk theredlionleytonstone.com/events

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Events marked

kid friendly

HISTORY

MUSIC

SHOPPING

COMEDY/THEATRE

Saturday 10 Stow Film Lounge presents SING (cert U) Centre17, 1 Church Hill E17 3AB A dapper Koala presides over a once-grand theatre and produces the world’s greatest singing competition.

Five contestants emerge: a mouse, a timid elephant, a pig, a gorilla and a punk-rock porcupine. Doors 10.30am for crafts, film 11am, close 1pm.

Children £6 (inc crafts), £12.50 party package (per child), acc adults £4.50, under 2s FREE. Buy online at billetto. co.uk or on the door. stowfilmlounge.com William Morris Gallery & Vestry House Museum Volunteer Open Day Vestry House Museum, Vestry Road E17 9NH Learn skills and get involved in your community by becoming a volunteer at the William Morris Gallery or Vestry House Museum. This is a chance to meet staff and other volunteers and find out how to apply. 11am-4pm. FREE. 020 8496 4391 wmgallery.org.uk/get_involved Flamingo Fairs’ Valentine’s Vintage and More Fair Wanstead Library, Spratt Hall Road E11 2RQ Bargains galore from local artists and craftspeople. Also vintage and shabby chic furniture, haberdashery, jewellery etc. Something for everyone at this busy child friendly fair. 11am-4pm. FREE. Dele Sosimi Afrobeat Orchestra Mirth, Marvel and Maud, 186 Hoe Street E17 4QH Fela Kuti and Femi Kuti’s Musical Director Dele Sosimi brings his FULL Afrobeat Orchestra to Walthamstow!

8pm-midnight. £12.50. mirthmarvelandmaud.com

Sunday 11 Family Day: Victorian Valentines Vestry House Museum, Vestry Road E17 9NH Love is in the air at the Vestry House Museum! Write your own traditional Victorian poem in a greetings card of your own making, and be sure to give it to someone special. For families with children of all ages. 1-4pm. FREE. walthamforest.gov.uk Open Spaces Ride Meet at the Ancient House, Orford Rd E17 9RW Enjoy a relaxed, sociable, easy paced ride, with a mid-afternoon cafe stop.

We cover around 15 miles, returning around 5pm. 1-5pm. FREE. walthamstowfamilybikeclub. wordpress.com Plough and Harrow Pub Quiz The Plough and Harrow, 419 High Road Leytonstone E11 4JU Monthly quiz in the front bar on the second Sunday. 7.30-11pm. £1. facebook.com/ploughE11

Cosmotheka at Walthamstow Folk Ye Olde Rose & Crown, 53 Hoe Street E17 4SA Considered among the finest interpreters of Music Hall, Dave Sealey has rebooted Cosmotheka to bring their glorious, exhilarating take on Music Hall into the 21st Century. 7.3010.30pm. £8, £6 unwaged. walthamstowfolk.co.uk

Tuesday 13 Birds in Lloyd Park Meet by the Stables, Lloyd Park, Forest Road E17 4PP Learn all about the birds in Lloyd Park, use binoculars to spot them and make bird feeders with natural and recycled materials. Just drop in. 10am-1pm.

FREE, donations welcome.

07870 678571 v.peet@tcv.org.uk

Wednesday 14 Basco / Jali Bakary Konteh & Huw Bennett St Mary’s Music Hall, Church End E17 9RL Basco, a fiddle-scraping, box-belting, cittern-smacking folk/roots band with members from Denmark, Sweden and Australia; with support from Kora and double bass Gambian-inspired super duo Jali and Huw. 6.30-11pm. £12. stmarysmusichall.co.uk

Thursday 15 Chinese New Year Kite Making Community Room, Lloyd Park (Winns Avenue entrance) E17 5JW We’ll celebrate the Chinese New Year by making kites from recycled materials and then fly them in the park. Drop in.

10am-1pm. FREE, donations welcome.

07870 678571 v.peet@tcv.org.uk Holiday Art Fun The Mill, 7-11 Coppermill Lane E17 7HA Make your own animated self-portrait Picasso style! Led by local artists Jane Evans and Melissa Herman. All under 8s must be accompanied. Limited spaces, so booking required. 2-4.30pm. FREE. themill-coppermill.org Theatre in the Great War Walthamstow Cricket, Tennis & Squash Club, 48a Greenway Avenue E17 3QN Dr Helen Brooks leads a national project researching plays written during the First War and is encouraging their performance. Includes a rehearsed reading of J. M. Barrie’s The Old Lady Shows Her Medals’. 7.30-10pm. FREE but £3 donation appreciated. westernfrontassociation.com

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ART

BOOKS

Thursday 15 continued Hornbeam Nights: Open Decks The Hornbeam Cafe, 458 Hoe Street E17 9AH A regular open decks night on the third Thursday of the month. A great vibe for amateurs and DJs alike to play great music on vinyl - yours or ours.

Arrive by 8pm to book your 20 minute slot. 7.30-11.30pm. FREE. hornbeam.org.uk/events Los Otros The Victoria, 188 Hoe Street E17 4QH All your favourite jazz standards with a bit of Latin and swing, upbeat dance rhythms and music for mellow moods.

9-11pm. FREE. losotros.co.uk

Friday 16 Hanoi Ca Phe: Vietnamese Pop-Up Mother’s Ruin Gin Palace, Unit 18 Ravenswood Industrial Estate, Shernhall Street E17 9HQ Details as Friday 2 February.

Dial M for Music Sir Alfred Hitchcock Hotel, 147 Whipps Cross Road E11 1NP Monthly music club with visuals, vintage and a warm welcome awaits. 7.4511pm. FREE, with collection.

Big Chief Ye Olde Rose & Crown, 53 Hoe Street E17 4SA This is feel-good funky, soulful, dextrous, foot stomping, shoulder rolling jazz-blues. 9-11.30pm. FREE. bigchief.org.uk

Saturday 17 Past & Present Vintage, Antique & Craft Fair Christchurch Hall, Wanstead Place E11 2SW Collectibles, antiques, vintage jewellery, perfumes and handbags, household items, toys, curios, greeting cards and lots more. Two halls, lots of stalls, great friendly atmosphere.

Homemade refreshments available.

10am-4.30pm. £1. pastandpresentchristchurch.weebly.com Inspiration: Bric-a-Brac Sale St Andrews Church Leytonstone, 153 Colworth Road E11 1JD Sale of bric-a-brac plus Fair Trade café and Fair Trade stall. Book a stall for just £6. 10am-2pm. £6.

Val Vivier 020 8558 3976 standrewsleytonstone.org The ‘Posh’ Jumble Wanstead United Reformed Church, Nightingale Lane E11 2HD Probably the best jumble sale of the year. Two halls full of wonderful pre-loved items. Designer clothes, household bits’n’bobs, accessories, furniture, vintage, bric-a-brac, books and vinyl. All at fantastic prices!

11am-3pm. Entry £1.

Events marked

kid friendly

CRAFTS

Ravenswood for Eat or Heat Ravenswood Industrial Estate - off Shernall Street E17 9HQ Charity fundraiser for local foodbank Eat Or Heat over four venues: Wildcard, Pillars, Mother’s Ruin and The Real Al Company. DJ’s include Simian Mobile Disco, Anna Prior from Metronomy, Nicky Blackmarket, top local names plus loads more. 2pm-12am. FREE entry. byrdout.com Blind Date Live The Northcote, 110 Grove Green Road E11 4EL It’s like Blind Date, but in the pub!

Hosted by drag queen Bambi Boo. You know the drill, a contestant asks three questions to three hopefuls hidden behind a screen in search of true love.

7.30-10.30pm. FREE. Nikki & the Switchblades at The Chicken Shack Sinbin at The Plough & Harrow, 419 High Road, Leytonstone E11 4JU Rockabilly’n’roll, Bop, Jive and Stroll!

Then DJs until 1am. From 8pm. £5. the-chicken-shack.com John E Vistic Rock n Roll Sound System / Lonely Tourist / Electrophonic Tonics What’s Cookin’, Leytonstone Ex-servicemen’s Club, 2 Harvey Road E11 3DB A screamin’ gospel-tinged rock’n’roll blues machine. 8.30-11pm. FREE. whatscookin.co.uk

Sunday 18 Newcomers Cycle Ride Meet in Walthamstow Village Square, Orford Road/Eden Road E17 9JS This bike ride is intended for those new to cycling, including families with young children. We ride around the quiet low traffic streets in Walthamstow Village, covering 2-3 miles. 2-3pm. FREE. She17 presents She’s Eclectic Wild Card Brewery, Unit 7, Ravenswood Industrial Estate, Shernhall Street E17 9HQ Live electro/acoustic music from talented Walthamstow women musicians. This month Katt B, Kimmi Watson and more great acts plus DJ playlist. 2-6pm. FREE. she17.com Hamell On Trial (USA) What’s Cookin’, Leytonstone Ex-servicemen’s Club, 2 Harvey Road E11 3DB “Bill Hicks, Hunter S. Thompson, and Joe Strummer all rolled into one” wrote Village Voice. 7-10pm. FREE. whatscookin.co.uk Damien Barber & Mike Wilson at Walthamstow Folk Ye Olde Rose & Crown, 53 Hoe Street E17 4SA Damien is one of the top names in folk.

Mike is a key member of the famous singing family the Wilson Family. Great songs sung with power and grace.

7.30-10.30pm. £8, £6 unwaged. walthamstowfolk.co.uk

DANCE/FITNESS Get Drawing! The Mill, 7-11 Coppermill Lane E17 7HA A relaxing, fortnightly two hours of drawing for adults. See 4 Feb for details.

Walthamstow: A Muslim History Tour Kelmscott School, 245 Markhouse Road E17 8DN Discover Walthamstow’s Muslim history, first prayer places, Paki-bashing, Islamophobia/racism, parallels, deaths, forgotten legends and a riot, Moorish Architecture, Abdulla on 1920s High Street, converts challenges and bridge building. 2.30-4.30pm. £12, or £10 if booked online. muslimhistorytours.com/en_GB/ walthamstow

Wednesday 21 Jig17 Ceilidh Night The Northcote, 110 Grove Green Road E11 4EL Fancy some Irish and Scottish ceilidh tunes? Pop down for a jig or just to listen and enjoy the music. Food available. 7.30-10pm. FREE. facebook.com/Jig17.Walthamstow Women, the Vote & the War to End All Wars St John’s Church Hall, High Road, Leytonstone E11 1HH A talk by Carol Harris to the Leyton and Leytonstone Historical Society. 7.459.45pm. £2, FREE to members. Tea served from 7.15pm. leytonhistorysociety.org.uk Rhino And The Ranters What’s Cookin’, Leytonstone Ex-servicemen’s Club, 2 Harvey Road E11 3DB Roots rock’n’roll and bluegrass, blending dark imagery of death, witchcraft, addiction and madness with humour and wordplay to mesmerising melodies. 8.30-11pm. FREE. whatscookin.co.uk

Thursday 22 Friends Talk: French Artists in London William Morris Gallery, Forest Road E17 4PP In this illustrated lecture, Tate curator Caroline Corbeau-Parsons discusses highlights of Tate Britain’s new exhibition ‘Impressionists in London, French artists in exile (1870–1904)’ which includes work by the sculptor Jules Dalou, whose work is represented in the WMG collection. 7.30-9.30pm, doors 7pm. FREE but book your place. wmgallery.org.uk Ceramics, Neuroscience & Philosophy: E17 Art Trail Idea Sparks Talk Gnome House, 7 Blackhorse Lane E17 6DS Amanda Doidge’s latest ceramic work responds to Benjamin Dalton’s question: ‘Do our brains sculpt identity in the same way an artist makes a sculpture?’ 7.30-9pm. Suggested donation £4, booking recommended. ticketlab.co.uk/event/id/1089

FAMILY

FILM

Music in the Village: Piano Recital St Mary’s Church, Church End (top of Church Hill) E17 9RL Virtuoso pianist Joseph Moog plays Debussy’s L’Isle Joyeuse and work by Haydn, Chopin and Liszt. 7.30-9.30pm. £13.50, concessions £7, on the door.

Charity Quiz Night for Baby Lifeline Ye Olde Rose & Crown Theatre Pub, 53 Hoe Street E17 4SA Bun is running the London Marathon and helping to raise money for Baby Lifeline. 7.30-10.30pm. £5 per person.

Bun Constantinou 020 8509 3880 Buckhurst Hill: The Development of a nearby Suburb St Gabriel’s Church, Havant Road E17 3JF A talk on the transformation of the medieval forest settlement La Bocherste into a prosperous Victorian suburb. 7.45-9pm. £2, FREE to members. Tea served from 7.15pm. walthamstowhistoricalsociety.org.uk

Friday 23 Gingo! Mother’s Ruin Gin Palace, Unit 18 Ravenswood Industrial Estate, Shernhall St E17 9HQ Hold on to your hats they’re back.

Cabaret savants and cocktail quaffers extraordinaire Original Army return with their gin-fuelled bingo madness. Expect obscenity, hilarity and c**p prizes.

7-11pm. FREE entry. mothersruin.net Electronic 17: Faze Action DJ Set Mirth, Marvel and Maud 186 Hoe Street E17 4QH Electronic 17 kick off their 2018 season of events at Mirth, Marvel & Maud with nu disco trailblazers Faze Action, playing a special 3 hour set with Dom Mandrell, Citizen Helene and Kat Richmond in support. 8pm-1am. £10. mirthmarvelandmaud.com

Saturday 24 Marshland Medicine: the New Season Walthamstow Marshes , (behind Lee Valley Ice Rink) E10 7QL First of the year’s guided medicinal plant walks exploring our local land and its healing allies. Please book in advance as places are limited. 11am-1pm. £7.50. hedgeherbs.org.uk Family Day: Printing from Nature William Morris Gallery, Forest Road E17 4PP Celebrate Morris’s love of nature by creating (vegetarian) gelatin prints, working directly with plants and leaves.

1-4pm. FREE. No need to book.

The Funny Side of Leytonstone Sinbin at The Plough & Harrow, 419 High Road, Leytonstone E11 4JU Comedy club with Impro Central: some of London’s best mixed and matched for a fresh blend of games and scenes.

Doors 7pm. 8-11pm. £1 or more! thefunnyside.info

36 The E List makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information it publishes, but cannot be held responsible for any consequences arising from errors or omissions. Please confirm with the venue before setting out.

FOOD & DRINK

OUTDOORS

HISTORY

Sunday 25

Wednesday 28

Stow Film Lounge presents THE CONVERSATION (1974, Cert 12) Mirth, Marvel & Maud, 186 Hoe Street E17 4QH Tense thriller starring Gene Hackman as a surveillance expert who has a crisis of conscience when he suspects that a couple, on whom he is spying, will be murdered. Doors 2.15pm, film 2.30pm. £7.50/£5.50 conc. Buy on the door or online at via billetto.co.uk stowfilmlounge.com

Tea Dance Chingford Assembly Hall, Station Road, E4 7EN Looking for leisure time with health benefits? Like to meet new people? Look no further - attend our monthly tea dance! Professional dancers are on hand every three months to show you the steps. 1-4pm. £6, free to carers. akademi.co.uk/teadances

E17 Sunday Food & Crafts Market The Limes Community and Children’s Centre, 6 Somers Road E17 6RX Monthly market featuring food, crafts, and live music from local creatives.

A friendly, inclusive atmosphere and The Limes playground is also open to all children. 12-3pm. FREE. thelimes.org.uk Sunday Afternoon Jazz The William Morris Bar, 807-811 Forest Rd E17 4JD Laid back jazz from the Paul Kaufman quartet plus guests. Enjoy great food and company while chilling out in this fabulous warm and stylish bar. 1.304.30pm. FREE entry.

Steve Turner at Walthamstow Folk Ye Olde Rose & Crown, 53 Hoe Street E17 4SA Steve Turner is a wonderful singer and concertina player, a real folkies folkie. Known as a pioneer of highly sophisticated English concertina song accompaniments. 7.30-10.30pm. £8, £6 unwaged. walthamstowfolk.co.uk

Tuesday 27 Red Imp presents Jeremy Hardy Ye Olde Rose & Crown Theatre Pub, 53 Hoe Street E17 4SA A full show from the star of Radio 4’s News Quiz Sorry I Haven’t A Clue, Jeremy Hardy Speaks To The Nation and Jeremy Hardy Feels It. Not to be missed. Again. 8.30-10.30pm. £15. redimpcomedy.com

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Events marked

Infinitease Burlesque: Series 5 Sinbin at The Plough & Harrow, 419 High Road, Leytonstone E11 4JU Bringing the UK’s best new burlesque performers together in the quest for new stars! Minimum age 18, ID required.

8-11pm. £15, early birds £10. behindburlesque.co.uk Jo Carley & The Old Dry Skulls / Anna Lucas & The Wonders What’s Cookin’, Leytonstone Ex-servicemen’s Club, 2 Harvey Road E11 3DB The Skulls throw bluegrass, ska, country and punk into a backwoods still to make musical moonshine. 8.30-11pm. FREE. whatscookin.co.uk E17 Cook Book Club The Bell, 617 Forest Road/Chingford Road E17 4NE Foodie social evening, everyone brings food to share. We eat, talk and have fun. Theme this month: South America.

Bring a dish to share with about 10 people. 8.30-10.30pm. £3. walthamstowfoodies.com

MARCH Friday 2 You Should Be Dancing!

Walthamstow Trades Hall, 61-63 Tower Hamlets Road E17 4RQ dolores rocket presents a club night for people who cut their dancing teeth in the 70s & 80s. Younger friends welcome! Expect soul, ska, pop and disco from the era. There’s bingo too!

8pm-12am. £5 in adv, £7 on the door. doloresrocket.com

MUSIC

SHOPPING

Tuesdays until 27 March NEW History Evening Class Shern Hall Methodist Church Hall, Shernhall Street E17 9HX WEA presents a course entitled ‘Revolution and the East End’ with tutor Ken Olende. 7.30-9.30pm. £8.40 payable in advance per course at £92.40. Some concessions available.

0300 303 3464 walthamstow.branch@wea.org.uk london.wea.org.uk.

Mondays NEW West African Drumming Circle for Adults Gnome House, 7 Blackhorse Lane E17 6DS Learn Senegambian and Guinean djembe rhythms with Gambian drummer Seneke Sillah. Suitable for all levels. 7-9pm. Class FREE but donations welcome, drum hire £3. mbillaarts.co.uk Saturdays NEW Junior Choir for ages 6+ Waltham Forest Music Service, 12 Church Hill E17 3AG For children of all abilities age 6+.

Through a wide range of songs from classical to pop, musicals and world music, we cover all aspects of vocal technique to build a solid foundation for singers. 10.30-11.30am. £29 for 10 weeks, £14 conc. walthamforest.gov.uk/music-service

COMEDY/THEATRE

Mondays until 5 March NEW Songwriting Workshops with Neil Bob Herd Studio Office, Quaker Meeting House, 1a Jewel Rd E17 4QU Everyone has songs inside them – yes, that includes you! Would you like to let your songs out? If the idea of supportive, friendly songwriting classes appeals then do join us. 6 week course.

7-8.30pm. Special E List rate £15. neilbobherd.com Tuesdays or Thursdays for 12 weeks Strung Out: Violin Classes for Adults Studio Office, Quaker Meeting House, 1a Jewel Road E17 4QU A fun violin group for all levels and styles. Tuesdays: Easy Two 6.30pm; Improvers 7.30pm and Absolute Beginners 8.30pm; Thursdays: Intermediates 7pm and Easy One 8pm. Contact for more info and future start dates. £12.50/ £11.25.

Alison Jones 0207 018 2927 shapeshifter-productions.com Wednesdays NEW Banjo Classes Quaker Meeting House, 1a Jewel Road E17 4QU Whether you’re a complete beginner or have been playing a while there’s a class to suit your experience in a friendly environment. You’ll need your own instrument! £15 per class, paid termly. banjosmith.co.uk

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Classes/Courses Mondays Life Drawing Sinbin at The Plough & Harrow, 419 High Road, Leytonstone E11 4JU Weekly untutored drawing session with professional model. Materials included.

7.30-9.30pm. £10. meetup.com/Life-Drawing-inLeytonstone Tuesdays NEW Life Drawing The Birds, 692 High Road, Leytonstone E11 3AA A new drawing class in a well lit spacious place, guided or untutored.

Study from great professional models of a variety of genders, ages and origins.

Art materials provided and included.

7.30-9.30pm. £10. meetup.com/Life-Drawing-The-Birds

kid friendly

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