Thank you to the Mercy Sisters

The Mercy sisters have left Wanstead, after more than 100 years. The Mercy Sisters ran St Joseph's school and the Convent on Cambridge Park, close to Our Lady of Lourdes Church. The school closed four years ago. Many the Wanstead child that has started their early school years at St Joseph's. A number returned for the recent final goodbye mass and reception for the Mercy sisters. The Mercy Sisters have been a constant in the community, providing educational and pastoral care, as well as encouraging people to look to wider horizons. Back in the late 1980s and 90s, there was a group formed at Our Lady of Lourdes called the Association for Relief in Crisis Areas (ARICA). The idea was to raise funds to support projects in the developing world (as called then) and increase awareness of the injustices that made so many people poor. A very rich world, where the vast majority were poor. Part of the latter work involved showing films in the Convent, like Cry Freedom and John Pilger's documentaries, and having discussions afterwards. On one occasion, the then MP for Wanstead and Woodford and later champion of the Postmasters and Mistresses, James Arbuthnot, was invited to attend to answer questions. Two of the first projects supported by ARICA were in Peru, on a poor barrier on the outskirts of Lima. The funds were used to bring water and electricity to the area. Two of us went out to see the work at first hand, staying in the Convent with Sisters Brendan and Agnes. There was also Sister Millie, a legendary nun, who drove her small car through what were then war torn Barrios. It was an important project that had far reaching consequences for the communities in Wanstead and Peru. ARICA eventually packed up. The Mercy's continued with their great work at home and abroad. A more recent project saw a centre established in Kings Cross helping sex workers. Women at the Well was established over a decade ago by Sister Lynda Dearlove, as a safe house for sex. workers. Sister Lynda came along for the goodbye mass, celebrated by Bishop of Brentwood, Alan Williams, at Our Lady of Lourdes recently. The order has never flinched from helping and walking alongside the most desperate in society. So it's goodbye to Wanstead from the Sisters of Mercy but good luck for all the great work they continue to do around the world.

Walk around the beer festival

The Wanstead Beer Festival (WBF) will be bigger this year, with more beers and a gin bar. The 40+ beers and ciders are drawn from across the UK, with Essex based breweries Brentwood, Elephant and Billericay all being well represented. Brentwood's popular Pride of Prague, brewed to mark West Ham's European Conference Cup victory last year, will once again be available. Get in quick, as this one sold out last time. Another Essex based brewery is Mighty Oak, which brings it's champion beer, Captain Bob - always popular and goes quickly. The popular Sussex brewery, Listers, makes a return, bringing it's best bitter. A new one from Listers is their premium bitter, Special Ale. Harveys of Lewes will again be represented, with Best Bitter and a new surprise beer. Gloucester brewery, Goffs, makes a first time appearance, with the all American hopped Cheltenham Gold. Closer to home is West London based Portobello, who bring Markets Porter and Central Line Red - hopefully they'll be on time. The WBF prides itself on its local ethos. So east London breweries like Redemption, Beerblefish, Neckstamper, East London Brewery and Pretty Decent are all prominent, particularly amongst the keg beers. There will also be a variety of ciders available. Devon based, Farmer Jim's will be providing the popular Rhubarb Bob. There will also be a Farmyard Perrie on offer. New, this year is the English gin bar. There will be gins from Essex, Sussex and east London. Wine prosecco and soft drinks will again be available. Christchurch will be doing the food. So plenty to look forward to at the second WBF. More people, more beers and gin - what's not to like. Roll on the 12th October - 1 pm kick off. Tickets selling fast, for the link, see: www.wansteadbeerfestival.co.uk

Impact of crime

Crime has a terrible impact on people's lives. Recently, a young woman and child came out of church to see their car had gone . The lady was very upset, in a state of shock. She rang the police to report the crime. The church was very supportive but that did not change the violation that had taken place. The disappearance of the car and the lady's reaction reminded me of my own experiences as a victim of crime. The first reaction always seems to be one of disbelief and denial. When burgled a few years ago, I remember looking at the empty space where the TV had been wondering why my brother, who lived there at the time, would have taken the TV to my parents. Slowly I realised we'd been burgled. Again, that sense of violation. Someone had been in your space. A more detached but similar reaction happened when the lady"s car was taken. The day before, there had been a street party in the road, everyone relaxed, enjoying themselves. No cars. Kids out playing football in the street - a safe comfortable space. Then. less than 12 hours later the theft in the same road. Crime breeds mistrust between people. Rather than reacting generously towards our fellow human beings, suspicion creeps in. Crime has always been around. Wanstead is a relatively low crime area. There have been a number of incidents recently, theft from shops on the high street, stealing of cars and some muggings. The police have been alerted. They will take action, just so long as crimes are reported. If they are not reported, how will the police know there is crime going on in the area? The police, though, are only part of the answer to crime. They are essentially social refuse collectors, picking up the pieces. Ofcourse, if the perpetrators are more likely to get caught, then this acts as a deterrent - it is though only part of the answer. Also, in the police's defence, the service has been run down in the past 14 years, with a lack of resourcing. This has come at a time of growing demands on the police. What also needs addressing is the inequalities in society. Criminals target wealthy areas and this is a wealthy area, compared to many. The cost of living crisis has pushed many to the brink, some will be stealing to survive. Others ofcourse are part of organised crime. There was a report recently about shoplifting to order - operations stealing for other businesses. So crime is very much a multi-faceted thing. There are a myriad of approaches needed to address the problem. More resources for the police, a genuine closing of the inequality gap and help for those struggling most. Also, support for the family and community cohesion. But as individuals we can also help by reaching out to those effected. Offer support, when needed. This can be in person or on social media. Less helpful is people hyping crime on social media, so fostering an atmosphere of fear and anxiety. We can all do something to address these problems, so try to reach out and help, whenever possible.

Tamzin Outhwaite excels in Abigail's Party

An excellent new production of Mike Leigh's Abigail's Party, stars Tamzin Outhwaite, who lights up the stage throughout this excellent performance at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East. Set and costume designer, Peter McKintosh's static set, encapsulates 1970s middle class living. The flock wall paper, record player and cheese and pineapple on cocktail sticks. Outhwaite dominates, playing Beverly, who was so memorably portrayed in the original stage and TV productions by Alison Steadman. Outhwaite's version is a more stylish lythe characterisation, gracefully sweeping around the set. One minute flirting, the next chastising. But always seeming not far from meltdown The play opens with Outhwaite dancing on the couch in a scene that could make the audience think they'd arrived at the wrong venue, maybe Abba Voyage, at the arena down the road? Outhwaite though retains much of Steadman's trademark rhetoric, with the drawn out act-u-ally, a feature of many sentences. The play is hilarious but also has darker undertones. The scene of two married couples so clearly unsuited is of less shock value now than it was in 1977, when the play was first performed. Relationships of accomodation, kept together by economic and social restraint. Characters like Tony (Omar Malik), with his monosyllabic responses to almost every question, have a hint of coercive control. Yet, nurse Angie (Ashna Rabheru) comes more into her own as the plot unfolds. Then there is the combustible relationship between Beverly and Lawrence (Kevin Bishop). Aggressive dislike, then final regret. The depiction of Sue (Pandora Colin) ,the mother of Abigail, who is never seen but around whose party the plot revolves, is different to the original play where the actor was taller. Much was made then of awkwardness in the size difference with Lawrence in the dance scene. Though, in this version despite the height similarities another type of awkwardness is conveyed. Director Nadia Fall does a great job with this adaptation of Mike Leigh's play, keeping true to the original, yet bringing a twist more towards the modern day. Outhwaite, though, excels, dominating the set with a great energy and poise. She is well supported by the other cast members, who hold true to the original storyline. An excellent production that is well worth seeing. Runs till 12 October

Seven Children by Danny Dorling

This book takes a novel approach to examining how one in three children live in poverty in the sixth richest country in the world. That country is the UK. Building on his previous book, Shattered Nation, Dorling drills down to see how seven stratas of British children are impacted by the poverty and inequality so rampant here. The seven fictional characters each represent two million children. They do not though include the top privileged seven percent. Dorling's seven were born in 2018, when the UK faced it's worst inequality since the 1930s and became Europe's most divided nation. They turned five in 2023, amid a devastating cost of living crisis. The children, Anna, Brandon, Candice, David, Emily, Freddy and Gemma, each represent a day of the week. So the poorest Anna is Monday. She is brought up by her mother, who receives £10,608 a year. That breaks down as £204 a week or £118, once housing costs are taken out. At the high end is Gemma, who represents Sunday, with a disposable income of £51k a year. The characterisations are an effective way of examining child poverty, though some are more roundly drawn than others. Housing costs play an important role in impoverishing every child. Dorling points out how 40 years ago the private rented sector was very minor - just 10% of adults rented privately. Rents were low. Since then, the selling off of council houses and removal of rent controls means that housing has become a huge drain on families across the board. Today, one in nine people are buy to let landlords. The sector has become a parasitical device for enhancing inequality in society. The book is full of shocking facts, like that one in seven children grow up in homes too cold because their parents cannot afford to heat them. Children in 9% of UK households lack access to the internet and one third don't have at least one week a way each year. Some 43% of adults in the UK don't pay income tax because they don't earn enough (£12,500). Even the height of five years olds is falling in the UK, while increasing in Germany and France. These impoverished children cannot afford to go out, so avoid parties. They cannot afford to buy presents. A killer stat for those opposing extending child benefit beyond two children is that families of three plus children make up 75% of the poorest two fifths of the population. Removing the limit would cut poverty at a stroke. Dorling's analysis of an incredibly unequal country is as excellent as ever. He warns of a country on the slide, with gross inequality stuck at these same sort of levels for the past 30 years. The UK was most equal in the mid-1970s. The very rich continue to prosper, whilst the lot of the poorest and everyone in-between continues to decline. It is an unsustainable construct. Some of the solutions are simple and obvious, such as filling the 648,114 empty homes in England. Dorling points out that if all the rooms available in Britain were shared out equally, no child would have to share a room Second home owners could be made to pay more. Dorling asserts there are enough homes to go round if equitably distributed. So there is not a need to build all over the place. Rent controls should return. He suggests investing in the care sector, rather than construction. Dorling discusses Universal Basic Income, which is being proposed in Wales. He recommends stronger trade unions, so better pay. The outlawing of zero hours contracts and the like. All of these things can help make the country more equal. What Dorling really does in Seven Children is deepen his previous analysis of inequality, with the focus on children. They are the future of the country yet at present are being forced to take the brunt of a bankrupt neo-liberal system that deepens inequality, poverty and human suffering. It cannot go on. Published by Hurst Publishing £14.99

Local people want answers on the fate of much loved pub

The fate of the George pub still hangs in the balance - it remains up for sale. The pub has remained busy over the summer months, drawing in people across the generations. The pub's leaseholder Wetherspoons have not been particularly communicative, since putting it up for sale earlier in the year. I wrote to Chair Tim Martin but received no reply. Then, contacting customer services (customerservices@jdwetherspoon.co.uk) in June, I was told the pub remained up for sale and that the 3,200 strong petition calling for the pub to remain open had been considered by the Board. No more since. Local people though remain concerned. The George has been a great community asset over the years, drawing in people from across the generations. Elderly people may go in for a drink, something to eat and to stay warm during the winter. Youngsters come in, often in large numbers, for cheap food and drink. A variety of community groups meet there - including the Wanstead Beer Festival organising committee. It is a vital resource for people on their own - many is the story told over recent months of those just going for a bit of company, somewhere to read the paper, have a reasonably priced pint and maybe a chat. Many people are genuinely distressed that the pub may not be there anymore. On Wetherspoons side, it must all be about profit. The George cannot be making enough money. Wetherspoons after all is a business, not a social service, but at the same time it does pride itself on community engagement. It does listen to customers. Over in Stoke Newington, the Rochester Castle pub was similarly condemned to closure but there was a strong local campaign to keep it open. Wetherspoons reconsidered - the pub remains open. People in Wanstead are as concerned as those in north London to keep their pub open. A campaign titled Save the George is gaining strength all the time. What they want to know is what is required to get Wetherspoons to reconsider it's decision to sell? There has been speculation around the lease but nothing concrete from Wetherspoons. Pubs have been closing all over the country. Wetherspoons have closed some pubs but also opened new ones. The George remains a popular local venue, where people of all generations can mix and get reasonably priced food and drink. The staff at the George are excellent. People don't want to be told to go somewhere else, like the Walnut Tree in Leytonstone. So surely the time has come for Sir Tim Martin and the Wetherspoons board to seriously engage with the local Wanstead community. Tell them what is going on and above all what is needed to keep this much loved pub open.

Erling Haaland 3-1 West Ham

This game at the London stadium could be summarised as Erling Haaland three West Ham one. Whilst Manchester City were the superior side throughout most of the 90 minutes, Haaland was the vital difference between the two sides. West Ham started brightly, pushing on, denying the visitors space. Jarrod Bowen saw an early effort parried out by City keeper Edison Then, a slick move involving Josko Gvardiol, Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish, ended with Haaland heading over, with the goal at his mercy. But that was a warning of things to come. Lucas Paqueta wastefully gave the ball away to Bernardo Silver, whose threaded pass was finished by Haaland. De Bruyne then saw a shot go wide and hit the post. Against the run of play, Bowen got off down the right, to fire a low cross over, that was diverted into his own net by Ruben Dias. But it wasn't long before City were back in front, a slick move across the area that began with Grealish, ended with a Rico Lewis lay off for Haaland to fire home into the roof of the net. Haaland then turned provider putting through Lewis who fired high and wide. West Ham's final effort of the half saw Mohammed Kudus fire wide, after latching onto a cross field ball from Edison Alvarez. Kudus was quickly out of the blocks after the break, accelerating clear to find Bowen, whose return pass saw the little Ghanaian hit the post. Kudus then conjured a chance for Tomas Soucek in the centre of the area but he fired weakly wide. The final act from Haaland came when Matheus Nunez put him clear to fire home. A late effort at a consolation saw Crysencio Summerville's shot pushed onto the post by Ederson. West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui felt his team started very well "but did not score in the moment." Manchester City punish teams, who don't take their chances. "We need to be more solid, if we want to win these sort of matches," said Lopetegui, who saw good things in the team as well Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola felt Haaland played an unbelievable game, not just the goals. "Everyone played really good," said a pleased Guardiola.