February 2022

28
Wanstead Village Directory
A LOT TO LOSE
In the eighth of a series of articles by plot holders at the Redbridge
Lane West allotments – which are under threat from the adjacent gas
works – Roger Snook explains why the site is a lifeline for him and others
Gerard Manley Hopkins wrote a poem,
Inversnaid, in which he made the
following plea for the preservation
of our rich, yet vulnerable, wildlife and
wild places.
©Roger Snook
What would the world be, once bereft
Of wet and wildness? Let them be left,
O let them be left, wildness and wet;
Long live the weeds and wilderness yet.
You might think the last things allotment
holders want are the three Ws (weeds,
wildness and wilderness). At the moment, as
winter continues, our allotments are bare and
like a wilderness. But, beneath the ground,
they are preparing for this year’s harvests. We
like wild animals and wild flowers (weeds)
wherever we can make room for them, and
have recorded nearly 200 species on our
allotments. (There is a photographic display
of them on the Redbridge Lane West gate.)
The allotments have become a sanctuary for
wildlife, and a green lung, refreshing the air in
the midst of urbanisation and motorways.
Now, we find that Cadent, the multimillionpound
gas giant, wants to turn some of our
allotments into a temporary (two-year-long!)
plant and equipment store and heavy vehicle
roadway while they simply erect a new electric
fence and carry out other minor upgrades.
Some plot holders will lose a significant part
of their land permanently!
Gas burning is a major pollutant and petrol
burning even more so. We are desperately
trying to make the obvious plain to Cadent:
find somewhere else for your plant and
vehicles and rethink your plans for moving
materials on, off and within your site
without land-grabbing ours. We are trusting
our councillors (who have a strong ‘green’
manifesto) and our community (4000-plus of
whom have already signed our petition), to
protect this irreplaceable amenity.
I am 80 years old and disabled. The allotment
is a lifeline for me, as it is for many others,
young and old, well and unwell, all sexes and
of many ethnic groups and religions. I’m what
Big Brother, in his official documents, calls
‘white English’, and David Wright, my fellow
allotment holder for the last nearly 20 years,
is half my age and of Jamaican extraction. I
taught for 40-odd years at Ilford County High
School for Boys, and David is a local university
lecturer, born in Brum.
We allotment holders are a happy band of
pilgrims from all walks of life – and very much
want it to stay that way! We often grow more
than we need and are able to give produce to
elderly folk living on their own and to homes
giving respite care. It is not only a close-knit
community of growers, the allotments are
very much a part of Wanstead life. Please do
all you can to support our cause.
To view more wildlife photos taken by
Roger and David, visit wnstd.com/eln
To view the petition to save the Redbridge
Lane West allotments, visit wnstd.com/sta
To advertise, call 020 8819 6645 or visit wnstd.com