Residents invited to discover the hidden history and architecture of Wanstead through free guided walks in the area
Residents of Wanstead are invited to join local resident John Goodman and national charity Living Streets in two guided walks around Wanstead, in celebration of the areas rich history and the recent improvements made to the pedestrian environments around the high street.
To join the walks, meet at: The display board outside Somerfield on the High Street on Wednesday 23rd September and Tuesday 29th September, 11am.
National Charity Living Streets will be teaming up with John Goodman and the Wanstead Society through their Fitter for Walking and Step Out in London projects, to encourage more walking in the local area and to encourage people to feel proud of their neighbourhood.
Living Streets, celebrating its 80th birthday this year, launched the Fitter for Walking project last year to help local people overcome barriers to walking, and to promote more local walking journeys. Living Streets’ Step Out in London project has also been working in the area to increase footfall on the High Street following recent improvements, such as increasing lighting, improving paving and clearing excess street clutter.
Jack Skillen, Fitter for Walking Manager, has been working closely with Redbridge Council and local community groups with the aim of making improvements to the local walking environment and encouraging more people to walk in their community. With funding from the Big Lottery Fund and London Councils, the Wanstead walks are designed to encourage people to get to know their local area better and the proximity of local places of interest on foot. Entitled ‘The Heart of old Wanstead’ and ‘The Grandeur of Wanstead’ residents will be able to see a side of Wanstead that they may not have been aware of before and allow them to learn about the rich history of their local area. During the walks, quirky information, hidden gems and local knowledge will be added to a new ‘walking map’ which will be produced of the local area.
Local businesses are also keen to increase local pedestrian footfall so are advertising the walks to customers.
Tony Armstrong, Chief Executive of Living Streets, said:
“This is an exciting opportunity for residents of Wanstead to really get to know their local area. Our high streets are best explored on foot and the recent improvements in Wanstead by the council and TfL mean that walking around and enjoying the streets has never been so accessible.
“There are so many benefits to walking, not just to make the roads less congested and polluted, but to develop more of a community as you get to know your local area better. We are really excited about these walks and encourage local residents to come down and join us.”
John Goodman, walk leader said:
"The idea behind these walks is to persuade people that Wanstead and its history can be enjoyed so much more without a car. The first walk will take in Christchurch Green, the Eagle pond and the High Street and the second will explore Wanstead Park and the influence of the Wanstead House estate on the landscape. Items of historical and architectural interest will be pointed out along the way and we hope that local residents will come and join us to find out more about their local area.”
If you would like anymore information about the walks, please contact Jack Skillen on 020 7377 4912 or email jack.skillen@livingstreets.org.uk.
Published by: Travel Actively on Sunday September 20 2009
