Victoria Park by Gemma Reeves

A delightfully written book, made up of a series of portraits of people living and working around Victoria Park in Hackney, east London. The park effectively provides the plot line on which the different characters lives are situated. The different individuals are nicely drawn but then inter-relate together. So the reader meets, Luca, who works in the Deli, on his way to band practice. Joe gives him a lift on his motorbike. Next, there is Elena having a steamy affair with Joe - only she is Luca's wife. The story for each character is set in a different month, with characters introduced earlier getting walk on cameo parts in other individuals stories. And it all goes on around the park. It is a clever piece of writing, light but always intriguing, Some secrets and lies, without ever becoming predictable or cliched. There is possibly a greater resonance for those who know the park but also an added attraction for those who don't. An excellent read. Published by Allen and Unwin Price - £8.99

Pedestrianisation of Wanstead High Street for the Festival will mark a return to the principles of Car Free Day

The welcome resumption of the Wanstead Festival will be a celebration of a cleaner, greener Wanstead. The Festival returns bigger and better than before, following the two year absence due to the pandemic. One importamt difference this time is the pedestrianisation of part of the high street. This will enable activities to extend beyond Christchurch Green, joining up across Wanstead. The move also marks an important return to the founding principles of the event. The Festival developed out of the Mayor of London's Car Free days of the early noughties. Then the high street was shut, with the activities focused in that area, The migration onto Christchurch Green was a relatively recent development. The great thing about the Car Free days was that they offered a vision of how things could be. The places along the Thames were transformed, once the traffic amd choking pollution were removed. A village atmosphere returned - for a day. Since those early days that vision has taken hold, accelerated by the threats of climate change and toxic air. The growing emphasis on active travel, with the promotion of cycling and walking, sees that vision advancing. There is a long way to go on active travel in Redbridge but a start has been made. The council is at present comsulting on new cycle lanes down Blakehall, Centre, Lakehouse and Aldersbrook Roads. These -if enacted - will link to major cycling routes in neighbouring boroughs. There are plans to improve cycling networks around the high street and Cambridge Park areas.of Wanstead, More bicycle hangars and.loops are slowly rolling out. There has also been some pedestrianisation of the high street on the monthly market days. The road closure for the Festival offers a snapshot of part of the high street without cars - a different look. So leave the car behind, come out on Sunday 12 September to help make this the best Wanstead Festival ever.

West Ham go top of Premier League with emphatic win over Leicester

West Ham 4-1 Leicester This comprehensive win for West Ham took them to the top of the Premier League, with the sky now looking the limit. A full London Stadium did not have to wait long, until the impressive Said Benrahma exchanged passes with Pablo Fornals, who then side footed home inside the right hand post. Tomas Soucek and Craig Dawson then went close with headers. Leicester would claim the sending off of Ayoz Perez in the 40th minute for stamping on Fornals was the turning point. Leicester though fought on valiantly with 10 men, Kasper Schmeichel making an acrobatic save from a point blank Michail Antonio header. The good work was then undone by Caglar Soyuncu, who turned blind passing the ball right into the path of Antonio, who squared for Benrahama to slot home. Youri Tielemans then pulled one back, as West Ham switched off in the penalty area. The relentless West Ham pressure, though, paid off, with a well taken brace from Antonio. First, Declan Rice and Aaron Cresswell exchanged passes, with the former crossing in for Antonio to turn control and fire home. The final goal came when Vladimir Coufal's cross found Antonio, who flicked the ball over his head before prodding home. West Ham manager David Moyes was full of praise for Antonio, though he didn't think the big striker always made the right choices in the first half. "Second half, he was different class," said Moyes, who thought the atmosphere on the night was like the old days at Upton Park. There was also praise for Benhrama, who Moyes acknowledged took time to settle, after his move from Brentford last season. "Said needed to take stock and settle into being a team player as much as an individual," said Moyes. The manager confirmed that he needs to get some reinforcements in before the transfer window closes. Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers was disappointed at the way his side conceded the first two goals, though pleased at how they kept fighting.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report demands grass roots led conversion to a more sustainable way of living

The warnings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of pending environmental disaster made for sobering reading. They should cause everyone to take stock, especially the parents and grandparents - what sort of a hellish future is being created for our children and grandchildren. The danger of floods and heatwaves is becoming ever more real, yet the world continues largely with business as usual. Since the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015, the rhetoric has grown ever louder but action has sadly lagged behind. Now, it seems we really are in the last chance saloon - action is needed now, not when it can be afforded or is politically convenient. The Covid pandemic has shown how immediate and drastic action can be taken to counter a crisis. In terms of climate, the Covid crisis saw a reduction in emissions for a short period, due to a drop in emitting activities like driving and flying. But also note how so many people saw the need to get back to these modes of travel as a key part of "getting back to normal." ( Normal ofcourse spawned both Covid and the Climate crisis.) The climate and biodiversity crises are different to Covid but demand a similarly urgent response. Polling has shown most people recognise the threat of the Climate Crisis, however, when it comes to drastically changing the way in which they live there is resistance. People want to live sustainably but also be able to drive and fly everywhere at will. There has to be change -- this is an emergency. Governments need to act at all levels to counter the threat of climate and biodiversity breakdown. The funding must be provided to back up the rhetoric But the real impetus must come from the grassroots. Pressure has to be applied to politicians to act but people must be ready for a whole sale conversion in the way that they live. This will mean driving and flying less, recycling and reusing more, creating less waste, growing food locally and reducing meat from the diet. There will be sacrifice but also gains - It will be a different world but one where we can all live more sustainably together.

Fans are back, anticipating another exciting season at West Ham

The new football season is upon us - it seems like it has never been away, with the excitement of the Euros, following the climax of last season. Football has done a great job during the pandemic, providing many people with a focus and distraction during dour daily life. The games have been on TV for those who want to access. What has been missing, though, has been the fans. Empty stadiums, hosting games with a training ground atmosphere - the shouts from players and those on the sidelines being clear to hear. The TV coverage has rather disguised this element of the games, often dubbing on crowd noise. Toward the end of last season, the fans started coming back, bringing passion and atmosphere with them. It will be great to see full stadium once again as the new season begins. The last season was a great one for West Ham, finishing sixth and only narrowly missing Champions League qualification. Manager David Moyes did a superb job with scant resources. He motivated the players to go above and beyond. Strangely, at time of writing there seems to have been little activity in the transfer market to strengthen the squad. In the background, there has been talk of takeover bids but nothing has yet materialised. It must be hoped that the owners of West Ham learn the lessons of the past and provide Moyes with transfer funds. In 1985/6 season, West Ham finished 3rd in the old First Division, failed to strengthen and ended up fighting relegation the following year. Harry Redknapp's side that included the likes of Joe Cole, Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick and Jermaine Defoe finished 5th in 1998/9. Then, not only did the club not strengthen but instead sold off their outstanding talents over the following years - good news for Manchester United and Chelsea it turned out. Most recently, there was the final season at the Boleyn ground (2015/16), which saw a Dimitri Payet inspired team finish 7th. New poor quality players came in, which saw the team struggle the following season - the first at the London Stadium. Moyes has pledged to bring on the young players, which is another thing that will please the fans. It will not go down well with the returning fans, if the owners let down the manager, when it comes to providing those transfer funds. The manager has more than earned the right to be given the resources to strengthen. With the fans coming back there is much anticipation around the London Stadium - an exciting new season beckons - let's hope its another great one.

Woodston - the biography of an English Farm

This is a fascinating book tracing the history of a farm, Woodston, situated on the Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire borders, from the neolithic times right through to present day. John Lewis-Stempel traces the changes in methods of farming and how people lived on the land. The changes from use of animal horns, then flint onto the bronze and iron ages. Each new material bringing technological change. There are the Romans, with their organusation of the land to feed more people. The Anglo- Saxons, much of, whose template still runs today. So most villages and paths/rights of way across the country date back to this era. There is the emphasis on sheep farming during Tudor and Stuart times to the enclosure of land in the 18th and 19th centuries - driving people away. Much of the most destructive activity in terms of biodiversity has occurred since World War II. The rush to grow more during the war, onto the movements to rip up hedgerows, and drench the earth with pesticides and herbicides. These have resulted in the loss of so many birds, mammals and plants. The author contrasts how much more conducive it is to biodiversity to say manually scythe an area rather than run a combine harvester over it - with all the subsequent destruction caused. This book has all the ringing authenticity of a naturalist farmer truly connected to the land. His lived experience, punctuated with a variety poetry, particularly from John Clare. He values farming but only done the right way. So he has stuck with his 1950s Ferguson tractor, rather than move to the modern equivalent. The modern vehicle being computer driven, cutting the direct link to tha land. Lewis-Stempel has some criticism for what he describes as tree planting mania. There is a seperate essay on this in the notes at the back, suffice to say he wants the need to produce more (70%) in order to feed the world to be taken into the tree planting equation. He also sees other ways to reduce carbon as being of equal merit. Also, some harsh words for #meatfree who he describes as "ludicrously anti-ecological". He illustrates this point quoting how managing a wood for four years, allowing cow and pigs to roam, massively increased biodiversity. A final essay, draws some interesting parallels between the handling of the Foot and Mouth crisis in 2001, with Covid today. Government turned to some of the same behavioural scientists at Imperial College then, as it has done with Covid. Then as now, the real answer was vaccination. Highly recommend Woodston, which offers a real insight into how things have developed down the centuries, where things have gone wrong and how a step back in a number of instances could help put things right for the future *Published by Transworld Publishers, part of Penguin Random House Group. £20

Redbridge Council sets out Climate Action Plan but everyone needs to do more

Redbridge Council has just launched its Climate Change Action Plan and Green Urban Landscape Policy. The world is faced by a dual crisis of climate and biodiversity breakdown. The two threats have to be addressed together, they are not mutually exclusive. In the case of carbon emissions in Redbridge, the research conducted shows buildings being the biggest emitters, accounting for 56%. Transport comes next with 36% and waste caused 8% of emissions. The Plan will see retrofitting of properties and commitments to new sustainable levels. On waste, recycling rates have improved with the roll out of wheelie bins. The variety of plastic that can be recycled is also expanding. On transport, council vehicle fleets are converting to electricity. Transport is a very challenging area. The recent London Boroughs Healthy Street scorecards saw Redbridge coming in 31st out of 33. The borough was found to have one of the lowest levels of walking and cycling. But high levels of pedestrian and cyclist casualties plus car ownership. The borough was found to have just 1% of protected cycle lanes, with 15% of the borough covered by 20mph speed limits. Efforts are being made to meet these challenges. The 20mph speed limits are being expanded, whilst, consultation on some more protected cycle lanes in the West of the borough are being rolled out. There are also efforts to expand Controlled Parking Zones (CPZ) ,Low Emission Neighbourhoods and School Streets. The Ultra Low Emission Zone will be extended to the West of the borough in October. So things are happening, though there is a long way to go. We are often reminded as councillors about the cycling network in neighbouring boroughs like Waltham Forest and Newham. Also, the CPZ and Low Emission Neighbourhoods in these boroughs. They offer a standard we have to aspire ro reach. However, to get the changes people must come along in support. There has been opposition in Redbridge to School Streets and Quieter Streets schemes. The council listened and acted. But as a result we have a more polluted, less sustainable borough than otherwise might be the case. There does often seem to be opposition to almost any change proposed, no matter how virtuous. The challenge ofcourse for those seeking to make the changes is to communicate and consult better. On biodiversity, the Growzone program, begun in Wanstead, has expanded out across the borough and will spread further with the new urban landscape policy. There is to be more tree planting and cultivation of tree pits. There is much to do and little time to do it. The report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change gave the world 12 years to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees - a quarter of that period has now passed. The Climate Change Action Plan highlights that only 2.4% of emissions in the borough are due to council activities, so the bigger challenge is to get others to also address their carbon footprints. The council has to be a facilitator of change. So for example, encouraging people to move to sustainable energy sources like solar, as well as electric cars. We also all need to take responsibility for our own actions and be less wasteful in everything we do. Really overcoming the threats of Climate Change and Biodiversity loss requires a personal as well as community conversion in the way in which we all live.