January 2024

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54 Wanstead Village Directory Reverend Reflections In the fifth of a series of articles, Revd James Gilder of Wanstead Parish says thank you to all who offered support and donations after thieves stole a safe from Christ Church a few weeks before Christmas Just before Christmas, Christ Church suffered a break-in. The thieves hacked a hole in the front doors of the church and made a real mess inside, making off with an entire safe, which contained cash we were collecting for the Children’s Society. Even more sadly, the safe also contained all the parish records of baptisms, weddings, confirmations and interments in our Garden of Remembrance. These will have no value to the thieves and may be discarded, so please do keep your eyes peeled for these hardback books full of handwritten ledgers. CCTV showed it was two young men who broke in, in the dead of night. Their getaway vehicles of choice were a bicycle and an e-scooter, and one of them – in a feat of acrobatics – somehow managed to balance the safe on the e-scooter and then proceeded to drive off, sitting on the top of the safe. It would be laughable if it weren’t so serious. Our friends at the United Reformed Church were also subject to an attempted break-in that same night, and two other local churches were burglarised in the preceding weeks. It took a little while for us to get back on our feet, especially as lots of things, like Christmas orders of service, had been carefully prepared and printed, and were now scattered all over the office, amongst bits of all the furniture the thieves had broken. The initial shock quickly turned to unexpected joy, however, as offers of help began to flood in. In the space of 24 hours, the good people of Wanstead donated more than £2,000 to replace the Christingle collection – far more than we had originally raised. I had over 50 offers of help from individuals to clear up the mess, and offers of painting and carpentry, too. I would like to use this space to say a huge thank you to everyone. Your goodwill far outstripped the negativity and evil committed by the thieves. It feels rather like Wanstead has been beset with crime over the last year. I have no stats to back this up, merely anecdotes of some terribly violent things happening on our High Street, and I see for myself the antisocial behaviour that goes on in the churchyard at night. However, in this instance, the degree to which Wanstead people showed how much they cared proves that – no matter how bleak things can feel – there is a goodness in us that can beat the worst. January is a time when that bleakness can feel overwhelming. It’s a time of tax returns, dark days and bad weather. The good news is, Easter comes early this year! If you find yourself unable to shake off the gloom, a reminder that our mental health support group meets in Christ Church vestry at 5.30pm on the first Sunday of every month. Thanks again everyone – I’m truly grateful for all your support. To contact Reverend James Gilder, email wansteadparishadmin@uwclub.net To advertise, call 020 8819 6645 or visit wnstd.com
January 2024 55 Please mention the Wanstead Village Directory when responding to adverts
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ISSN 2059-013X Est. 2006 wnstd.com
Page 3 and 4: Contents Features Park life .......
Page 5 and 6: January 2024 5 FREE EVENT DANCE FIT
Page 7 and 8: January 2024 7 New Woodford Police
Page 9 and 10: January 2024 9 Choose surgery that
Page 11 and 12: January 2024 11 Valentines Mansion
Page 13 and 14: January 2024 13 WHAT WHAT I AM I AM
Page 15 and 16: January 2024 15 Please mention the
Page 17 and 18: WVD _GD_family_120x174_12Dec2023.qx
Page 19 and 20: January 2024 19 Park Life In the ei
Page 21 and 22: January 2024 21 FOR SALE Wanstead C
Page 23 and 24: January 2024 23 HEATING “PLUS”
Page 25 and 26: January 2024 25 1-2 Johnston Road,
Page 27 and 28: January 2024 27 Are you considering
Page 29 and 30: January 2024 29
Page 31 and 32: January 2024 31 the time. From then
Page 33 and 34: January 2024 33 Aesthetic doctor sp
Page 35 and 36: January 2024 35 Edwards Duthie Sham
Page 37 and 38: January 2024 37 Traditional Craftsm
Page 39 and 40: January 2024 39 New generation mast
Page 41 and 42: #Prom #Graduation #Party #Wedding #
Page 43 and 44: * Ballet * Modern * Jazz * Tap * *
Page 45 and 46: January 2024 45 ESTABLISHED BUILDER
Page 47 and 48: January 2024 47 SMALL SCHOOL, BIG R
Page 49 and 50: January 2024 49 NEW YEAR 45 High St
Page 51 and 52: January 2024 51 GROTTO PROJECT In t
Page 53: January 2024 53 THP Chartered Accou
Page 57 and 58: January 2024 57 Live well your way
Page 59 and 60: January 2024 59 McCarty & Smith Win
Page 61 and 62: 4 Oxfam Books & Music Shop Donation
Page 63 and 64: January 2024 63 South Woodford, Woo
Page 65 and 66: January 2024 65 Sir James Hawkey Ha
Page 67 and 68: January 2024 67 Community events PA
Page 69 and 70: January 2024 69 Beginners I All Lev
Page 71 and 72: January 2024 71 ALUMNI REGISTRATION
Page 73 and 74: January 2024 73 Homesdale (Woodford
Page 75 and 76: January 2024 75 AVON HOUSE PREPARAT
Page 77 and 78: January 2024 77 Our design, materia
Page 79 and 80: January 2024 79 Please mention the
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January 2024

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