A £1million indoor play area was officially opened yesterday. Owls Play Centre at Fairlop Waters in Forest Road, Barkingside, provides soft-play, multi-tiered facilities for babies and children up to 11 and will be managed by Vision Redbridge.
A photographer has created a calender featuring army personel as 1940s-style pin-ups for charity. Neil Lewis, 56, of Mount View Road, Chingford, photographed 12 women soldiers to raise money for Help for Heroes. Mr Lewis and the models from
Woodford Under-15s drew a pulsating encounter 12-12 in the first of two matches away at Hackney Bulls on Sunday. Woodford took on Hackney Under-15s first before a second game against their opponents' Under16’s. The visitors started off well
Children from Mission Grove Primary School in Walthamstow visited Father Christmas today to discuss what they want for Christmas. Pupils from each class of the Buxton Road school visited Santa and received a gift. In the afternoon, each classroom
A housing development on the site of the former Chingford municipal offices is scheduled to welcome new homeowners in January. The Fairview development includes 88 properties in The Ridgeway and the former town hall building on the site will be
Christmas knitters are helping to boost a business in the district. Little Sew ’n’ sews in High Street, Epping, is benefitting from the popularity of knitting in the run-up to Christmas. The shop stocks thousands of knitting patterns and balls
A butcher’s shop has sold more than 400 turkeys in what looks to be its best Christmas yet. Church’s’ Butchers in High Street, Epping, has managed to shift more birds than ever before and has been helping the community enjoy their Christmas.
Ho ho hole - it’s almost Christmas and I’ve been getting in touch with people who will be using the roads a little more than usual over the festive period. An industry which comes into its own at this time of year is the plumbing trade, and I spoke
Two East London Runners finished in the top ten at the Bushy Park 10km race on Sunday. Mark Boulton came third in the event in a time of 37.03 while Will Pearce registered a personal best of 39.20 to finish ninth. There were three Runners involved
A £1.7million scheme to regenerate Woodford Bridge was approved by Transport for London (TfL) today. A formal bid was submitted by the council to TfL in September to regenerate the area around Chigwell Road. In April the area underwent £426,000
A local group will display a model military tank at a national model engineering exhibitioin in January 2014. Representative of the UK Tank Club, Robin Ellis, 74, of Connaught Avenue, Chingford, will take the ‘Tiger301' which starred in the alternative
Leyton Orient's trip to Shrewsbury Town has been rescheduled for Tuesday, January 7. The O's were due to face them the previous Saturday but that date is busy because Orient are away to Yeovil Town in the third round of the FA Cup. Russell
West Ham United have been linked with a move for Southampton striker Rickie Lambert. Hammers boss Sam Allardyce is understood to be an admirer of the England international. The Irons desperately need to increase their goal threat and a move
A raffle held by a charity which grants wishes to seriously ill young people has raised £360 at a Christmas market. Chigwell-based charity The Dream Factory held the event at the Epping Christmas market on December 6 but the figure has only now
A GP surgery has been ranked in the top 10 after 1,000 practices were inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Seven Kings Practice, based at Seven Kings Health Centre in Salisbury Road, Ilford met all the standards required in the first
Access to payday loan websites from all council computers is to be denied. Liberal Democrat councillors Liz Philips and Mahmood Hussain put forward a motion at a full council meeting on Thursday to take a similar stance to other councils in banning
The owner of one of Woodford Green’s oldest businesses says he is taking new risks to succeed. Opened in 1959 by David Leake, DP Leake Television Ltd has remained in High Road, Woodford Green for over a half century, and is now attracting a different
West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce insists he does not fear for his job despite the club's poor current form. The Hammers have slipped down to fourth bottom in the Premier League while West Brom and Tottenham have recently dismissed their managers
The new head of an ambulance service has targeted three key areas in his bid to improve it. Anthony Marsh will assume the role of chief executive of the East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST) on January 1, replacing current head Andrew
Police are appealing for witnesses after a driver failed to stop following a collision with a scooter rider. Emergency services were called to the junction of Ranger's Road and Epping New Road in Loughton shortly after 4pm yesterday. The scooter
A man has been charged with possession of a knife and another with possession of cannabis. Kevin Tshoma, 22, of Gloucester Road, Ilford, has been charged with possession of an offensive weapon during Operation Concord, which aims to clamp down
The disgraced former leader of Essex County Council has been caught clocking into the House of Lords for just 20 minutes a day so he can claim a £300 allowance. Lord Hanningfield, who was jailed for expenses fraud in 2011, has regularly claimed
Old Loughtonians Under-18 Girls were in sparkling form at Essex University on Saturday as they were crowned East Indoor champions and booked a place at the EHB National Finals. In their first match, Loughts recorded a 7-2 win over Ipswich, who
Woodford recorded their first win in nine matches as they beat Old Haberdashers 20-8 away from home in London 1 North. The win means Woodford are now third from bottom of the table, equal on points with Tabard just below them. Although the
Premier Division Buckhurst Hill earned all three points to remain top of the table after a 3-2 win over Bishop's Stortford Swifts. Bucks' Jamie Tabard (2) and Chris Stowe cancelled out Swifts' goals scored by Ross Bristow and Dean McAteer.
Kiri Tunks is a mother and secondary school teacher living in Waltham Forest. Ms Tunks has been a teacher for 20 years and is concerned about the growing number of free schools and academies cropping up across the borough.
The owner of a chicken shop destroyed by a fire while suspected of trading in breach of a council order has failed to attend court. An arrest warrant was issued by Thames Magistrates' Court after Akhtar Khan failed to attend court on Friday.
The East of England ambulance service is to have a new chief executive. Dr Anthony Marsh, chief executive of the West Midlands Ambulance Service, is to take over the East England service from Andrew Morgan. Dr Marsh was commissioned to write
London Underground’s medic response team is set to be halved, leaving only eight staff members across the network. The Police Medic Response Unit (PMRU) had 20 medic-trained British Transport Police (BTP) officers set up to respond when passengers
Emergency services were called to the scene of an accident shortly before 4pm yesterday. A car and motorcycle crashed in Epping New Road near the junction with Rangers Road. A rapid response vehicle and ambulance attended but nobody was thought
A woman who lives in a street which has seen three car crashes in a month fears someone could be killed at the junction. Michelle Evans' garden wall was demolished when a car drove into it in Fiddlers Hamlet last week. It was the third incident
The future of one of Britain’s biggest dance music festivals is at risk. The High Definition (HD) Festival, a summer event held at Forest Farm, in Forest Road, Ilford, will undergo a licensing review on Thursday at Ilford Town Hall. Festival
A parent campaign group has said a failing primary school’s improved results are “vindication” of its work to prevent the school from becoming an academy. The parents of Snaresbrook Primary School, in Meadow Walk, South Woodford, led a high-profile
A man accused of harassing two women will appear before magistrates later today. Daniel Ryan, of Regent Street in Colchester, will appear at Harlow Magistrates' Court charged with harassment of the women in Epping earlier this year. The charges
