2 South Woodford Village Gazette To advertise, call 020 8819 0595 or visit swvg.co.uk
Contents Features SoWo Christmas 16–17 Hotel Uniform Bravo 20 Greening South Woodford22 Cut out for Christmas26–27 DD’s 50th Woodford Diary30–31 Leisure measures 38 Flat-out advice40 Streets apart42 Fanatical about history 46–47 Our green and pleasant land 50–51 Dramatic pause 54 Puzzles & competitions Sudoku 28 Crossword competition34 Woodford anagram48 Mind-bender puzzles52 Every month Local news6–8 & 10–13 South Woodford map18–19 Community events59–62 & 64 Community groups66 Useful numbers68 Index of advertisers70 Contact Us 020 8819 0595 Welcome... This Christmas will be considerably better than last year. So said the Prime Minister 82 days before the big day. As comparisons go, it’s up there with the best of the worst; a false equivalence in anyone’s book. It’s apples and oranges, honey and butter (for any Welsh readers), grandparents and machine guns (for any Serbians) or gingerbread and windmills (for the Polish among us). With Christmas 2020 cancelled for many families, it’s a low bar to judge this year’s festivities by. No amount of gingerbread could replace missing grandparents. But it also strikes me that making any Christmas-on-Christmas comparison is something of a perverse thing to do. We all hope (and plan) for a wonderful Christmas each year, but do any of us keep score? The average Brit can expect around 80 visits from Santa in their lifetime, so if we are to keep a yuletide best-toworst ranking, a simple spreadsheet should suffice. Of course, a robust scoring system will be needed. Points awarded for quality (or quantity?) of presents. More points for a well-cooked turkey, bonus points if you finish your sprouts. Christmases with argument-free family gatherings are likely to score well. ‘Nul points’ for Christmases that are simply free of any family. But how to account for changing circumstances? Was Christmas as a five-year-old, when you got that magnificent bike, better than Christmas as a 35-year-old when you got socks but watched your own child get a bike? Would a white Christmas with a dry turkey outrank a wet Christmas with the perfect dinner? I’m not sure this festive league table will catch on. So, let’s just hope for a restriction-free, family-friendly Christmas. If it’s better than last year, great, but as I tell my children, if you’re enjoying yourself, does it really matter who wins? Lee Marquis, Editor Calling local residents... The South Woodford Village Gazette proudly supports local businesses and we encourage you to do the same. Help us help these businesses by mentioning the South Woodford Village Gazette when responding to adverts. A note to businesses... If you are a business based in South Woodford, or if you have a presence in the local community, we can help you get your message across to our readers. The deadline for inclusion in the January/February 2022 edition is 10 <strong>Dec</strong>ember <strong>2021</strong>. info@swvg.co.uk swvg.co.uk @southwoodfordvg South Woodford Village Gazette PO Box 2491, Ilford, IG1 8JT The South Woodford Village Gazette is published every other month with a circulation of 12,000 copies. Of these, 11,000 are delivered to homes and businesses across the local area. The remaining copies are available from local shops. Postal subscriptions are available from swvg.co.uk/subscribe ISSN 2632-8224 Published by Marquis Print Ltd. Founded in 1992 by Jack Lamport Mitchell. Edited from 2004 to 2015 by Ken and Sue Lees. Marquis Print Ltd cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions, or endorse companies or products that appear in this magazine. The views expressed in feature articles are those of the credited authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher. ©<strong>2021</strong> Marquis Print Ltd All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior consent. Printed by Premier Print Group, G02 Lock Studios, 7 Corsican Square, London, E3 3YD
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