As Snow falls in E17, Flickr users are out and about taking some wonderful photos.

Watch a slideshow below.

Artsnewspaper.tv interviewed the E17 based Turner prize winning artist Grayson Perry about the inspirations behind his latest work The Walthamstow Tapestry.

Decked out in his trademark frock Perry is in fine form. I particularly like his comment about working in Walthamstow, “I like walking out of my studio in Walthamstow and just seeing the piles of dogshit, the satellite dishes and the north circular road roaring by.”

Unfortunately the tapestry was only on display at the Victoria Miro gallery in London until November 14th. Maybe it’ll come home to be displayed in the ‘Stow one day?

Thanks to The Archipelago Of Truth for pointing out the video.

Thanks to everyone who showed up for our community garden/harvest celebration on the Douglas Eyre playing fields.
The apple press was a particular hit with the look on some of the kids faces when the juice poured forth worth putting the event on for alone. The BBQ didn’t kill anyone, and the apple bobbing was as ever a reliable bit of fun.

Many residents discussed options for the community garden, including taking part in a PASE exercise.  PASE stands for plant, animal, structure, event – with people writing their choice for each on a post it note (i.e. what events could be held, what animals could be kept, what structure built).

The prize for the most outlandish animal suggestion goes to whoever said we should keep an elephant!

Those not chatting, quaffing juice, or manning the bbq were busy building a compost heap (below).
Made from used palettes – kindly donated from a company down by Tottenham Hale – its a first step towards a working community garden.

By the end of the day, limbs were aching and hands unused to a hard days work blistered but hopefully its the first of many events.

If youre interested in anyway in helping with the community garden whether that’s planning, or the digging when its set up, please email foodgardeningandenvironment@blackhorseactiongroup.org.uk.

Thanks must go to the Hornbeam Centre’s fruitpicking project for the use of their wonderful Apple and Pear press.  For details on how to help out with their project visit the website.

Want to grow some food and flowers?

Come to BAG’s first FREE beginners gardening workshop on Sunday the 7th of June.

There will be containers for everyone to plant out with organic vegetables and flowers. Once you’ve finished, take them away and enjoy.

THE WORKSHOP WILL TAKE PLACE ON THE 
DOUGLAS EYRE PLAYING FIELDS, 
2.30-4.30pm.

The Workshop is completely free and open to all, but numbers are limited so please book in advance by emailing Caroline.

The workshop was funded courtesy of Grassroots Grants.

ORGANISED BY BLACKHORSE ACTION GROUP AND ORGANICLEA,

A thousand bulbs should hopefully brighten the area come spring, and there was still time to recover from all the excertion at the Coppermill.

(above) A few intrepid planters

Historical note!

When the first reservoirs were built during the 19th century, negotiations with the East London Waterworks Company to achieve compensation for parishioners who had Lammas Grazing Rights over the land were held at the Ferry Boat Inn, in Forest Road, Walthamstow, which was also once famous for its Whitsun Ales. When houses were built in Forest Road, a stipulation in the deeds was that no funfair was to be held and alcohol was not to be sold or consumed on the premises!

Meet for lunch at the Ferry Boat Inn from midday and the walk will set off from the car-park at 2.15pm. This is essentially a gentle stroll for fun, enjoying the ‘season of mists and mellow fruitfulness.’ See the marshes from a different perspective and also find out about the history and wildlife of the reservoirs.�
Stout footwear and appropriate clothing is necessary. It can be very cold and windy!

All are welcome for this free event, but unfortunately due to Thames Water’s safety requirements no dogs or children under 8 years of age are allowed in the reservoirs area. Also, no bicycles, wheelchairs or alcohol are permitted. The reservoirs are classified as a workplace and are therefore subject to various restrictions.

Next Saturday 11 October sees the return of Apple day at the Vestry House Museum. The event will run from 11am until 4pm and is organised by ELOG (East London Organic Gardeners). It will showcase everything apple including the hundreds of varieties that exist, apple juicing, apple bobbing, apple tasting, apple bonsai, heritage apple trees for sale, homemade apple cakes to name but a few activities on offer on the day. Walthamstow LETs (Waltham Forest Local Exchange Trading Scheme) will also have a stall promoting their skill swapping scheme and the Waltham Forest Children’s Art Project will be providing the entertainment for the children with an opportunity to make apple fridge magnets as well as drawing apples. For more information please contact Adrian Stannard at adrian.stannard@btinternet.com

We learned various details about bats and heard their noises on a “Bat detector” which was tuned into the appropriate bat frequency. We couldn’t see any bats as it was dark but the walk over Walthamstow Marshes with an orange moon hanging low over the land was very enjoyable indeed.  We were back outside the pub again at around 10.15 pm.

People must have enjoyed it as Jeanette, our bat walk guide counted the donations of everyone. The grand total came to £37.70.  Thank you everyone for your generosity.

In the future we will strive to organise more public events for residents to participate.

Without any further ado here’s the rest of the news:

LATEST ON THE BLACKHORSE ROAD TOWER BLOCKS

On the back of the comments you made individually and the ones we have passed on, we have had an opportunity to meet members of the council about the proposed 23 storey tower blocks to the back of Blackhorse Road. This shows that we are being listened to!

On the 27th August we met Bob Belam (Lib Dem), (Portfolio Holder for Environment and Regeneration) and John Macklin (Lib Dem), (Portfolio Holder for Service Modernisation and Deputy Leader of the Council) who both seemed eager to hear our views and were sympathetic. On the 3rd September we also managed to meet Terry Wheeler (Lab), (Portfolio Holder for Enterprise and Investment). He stated that the original plan to build vast tower blocks has been shelved.

So if that’s true congratulations must go to everyone who gave their views to us and the council! It doesn’t end there though, a new architect is taking over and new proposals are being developed on which we have no details or assurances over quality, height or ways in which the whole project can benefit the community as a whole.

We have renewed our argument that any development on BHL2 should have mixed facilities for the local community, but we got the strong impression that the Council thinks that very unlikely. So, maybe one battle won but a huge fight still looming.

In addition, we will see new plans to be brought forward to meet the strategy to increase the amount of accommodation available in the Borough. We will keep fighting to be a part of the planning and thinking about them and will keep you posted.

Future meetings are in the pipeline with councillors as well as the developers including English Partnerships and Circle Anglia.

We will continue to put forward residents views at meetings with key players and will provide feedback – and ensure that you remain a part of the action.

NORTH LONDON WASTE PLAN

A new residents group has been set up to stop Waltham Forest becoming North London’s dumping ground. Six new ‘industrial’ sites are proposed, four of these are planned to be in the Lea Valley, and one is earmarked for Blackhorse Road.

There’s a demonstration against the plans on Tuesday the 30th September at 6pm on the Town Hall steps.

Visit Residents Against Pollution for more info and to download some of their very stylish posters.
*The Residents Against Pollution group is supported by the Socialist Party, although RAP have contacted BAG to point out that they are a residents group and not officially linked or funded by the Socialist Party (not that BAG has anything either pro or anti to say about the Socilaist Party!!)

TESCO EXPRESS

Opinion seems divided on plans for a Tesco Express store on the former site of the Essex Arms on Forest Road (2-3 minutes walk from Blackhorse Road tube).

The proposed store would have 9 car parking spaces, secure bays for 14 bikes and would be open between 7am and 11pm.

Debate has raged over whether this will decimate local business’s and destroy diversity or whether it’s actually a good use of a derelict site.

Visit here for more information and to give us your views.

LONG LIVE THE STANDARD

The Standard Music Venue has been given a temporary reprieve from the bulldozer. Developers have reportedly shelved the scheme, due to the slowdown in the housing market. There is however an agreement to buy in place that gives them the right to return to the deal whenever the housing market recovers.

Read more here.

SAVE OUR STOW

BAG found some old Walthamstow Dogs footage from 1937, 1968 and 1986 down the back of the sofa so we’ve put together a 30 minute video tribute to “The Stow” through the ages.

Watch “The Soul of Walthamstow: 75 years of ‘The Stow’” here.

The latest news is that representatives of Save Our Stow have met with housing developers L&Q.

L&Q issued the following press release:

L&Q acting on behalf of the above consortium met with the SOS consortium on the 17th September.

This was not, as has been reported, a meeting to negotiate the sale of the land. No deal has been agreed between us and the SOS consortium. Instead this meeting was an opportunity for the SOS consortium to actually introduce themselves, for them to present a more detailed business proposal and to provide evidence that funds are available for any proposed purchase. The proposal received on the 23rd July was far too brief to be considered.

Following this meeting we are now able to look at their proposal and give it our full consideration. Once a decision has been made we will contact the SOS consortium directly. As this is a private business matter until a decision has been reached we have no further comment with regards to the proposal.

VICTORIA STILL EARLY TO BED

BBC London has revealed that early closures on the Victoria Line are likely to continue throughout 2009 after a brief pause for Christmas and New year.

Watch the BBC London report including a look at the new trains.

There’s a guided bat walk on Saturday 20th September (Not Sunday as we originally stated).

Meet outside the Coppermill Pub on Coppermill Lane at 8pm.

The walk will be guided by the local community bat group: ‘Lee Valley Bats’ who are affiliated to the BAT CONSERVATION TRUST.  You can sign up for free membership of Lee Valley Bats here, but the walk is open to all.
Visit the Lee Valley Bats site to discover all the Bat species to be found in the Lee Valley.

Walks usually last around an hour and 30 mins.
Requirements:
· sturdy footwear
· a waterproof
· a torch (for lighting the ground, not surroundings)
· children welcome, but only when accompanied by a parent or guardian, (or other entrusted person)

Any other questions please email Lee Valley Bats

Check out all the days and details below. For more visit their swish looking new website.

All workshops are at the Hornbeam Centre, 458 Hoe Street, Walthamstow unless otherwise specified. Prices indicated are for waged first then low income and unwaged.
Registration is appreciated and for sessions marked with * numbers are limited so please let us know if you are coming: email us or call 020 8558 6880.

Wednesday 20th August (3-4.30pm)*
Baking for kids (age 4-10) £1.50/£1
Come and have a go: mix, chop, stir and bake simple biscuits, cakes or smoothies, then enjoy the results!

Saturday 23rd August (4-5.30pm)*
Jam making £3/£2
Home-made tastes better… Discover the basic methods of this long-established way of capturing fruity goodness in a jar.

Wednesday 27th August (7-9pm)
Wine from the hedgerows: introduction to homebrew £3/£2
Brewing your own is cheaper and more satisfying. Find out how to make a fine wine from fruit you can find in the hedges, and get your cider started in time for the swap. Or just sample some we made earlier!

Sunday 14th September (11am-1pm)
Introduction to food growing £3/£2
Start early for next year’s swap – find out the basic principles of organic growing and pick up some simple tips to get you started growing your own. At Organiclea’s growing site, Drysdale Avenue, E4

Wednesday 17th September*
Kitchen pharmacy: using herbs for common remedies
3pm herbal walk – to be confirmed, call for details £3/£2
6-8pm preparation workshop £3/£2 £5/£3 for both sessions
The herbs and plants that you can grow in your garden or allotment site have many uses beyond the cooking pot. This session will show you how to prepare your own herbal treatments and take advantage of the many benefits herbs can bring to your health.

Saturday 27th September (4-5.30pm)
Seed saving £3/£2
Find out why we save seed, learn the basic principles and gain confidence. Then have a go yourself and become part of a local outlawed seed saving mission!

Saturday 4th October (4-5.30pm)*
Pickles and chutneys £3/£2
This workshop will take a peep at traditional uses of preserves and chutneys in different cultures. An opportunity to jar up goodness from locally grown and foraged fruit. Come along and share your recipes and ideas.

Saturday 4th October
Scrumping apples ‘n’ pears pick ‘n’ press day (Free)
11am intro and picking (meet at Hornbeam, come by bicycle if possible)
2.30pm juicing
Fruit grows in abundance in Walthamstow and the scrumping project helps to ensure it doesn’t go to waste. Come and take part in a picking session and using the apple press, and have a taste of the freshest juice you can get…

Thursday 9th October (7-9pm)*
Cake baking £3/£2
Learn a simple recipe for dairy free cake which you can adapt and experiment with to add your favourite fruits and flavours.

Saturday 11th October (11am-4pm)
Apple Day (Free)
Apples galore at Vestry House Museum, Vestry Road, Walthamstow – juice, fruit, games and information for all ages.

Saturday 11th October (12-2pm)
Seed sprouting drop-in at the Hornbeam market stall
Even closer than a balcony is space for one of the most nutritious, fast foods you can grow. Learn this simple growing skill – and produce a crop that will save you £££s.

Saturday 11th October
Raw food talk 6pm and pot luck supper 7pm (Free)
Find out how healthy and tasty raw food can be; bring something to share for the supper.

Thursday 16th October
World Food Day discussion evening (Free – donations for food)
7.30pm, with food served from 6.30pm
On the day designated to mark food as “a requisite for survival and well-being and a fundamental human necessity”, take part in a discussion with Simon Fairlie, editor of The Land, to look at how we can break the corporate clutch on our food chain and how we can feed ourselves sustainably.

Saturday 18th October 2-4pm)
The Great Local Food Swap (Free)
Bring your swapping goodies for registration from 12pm
Swap your grown-produce for somebody elses pickles and bakes in a locally celebrated “good food swap“. It’s about sharing food you’ve made, grown, picked or found. It’s a chance to show off your produce and share good food by swapping what you’ve brought with other people, without the need for money changing hands.