Walthamstow Diary Between forest and marsh lies the glorious Stow. These are the tales and meanderings of a proud resident of E17
The atmosphere in St Barnabas was amazing. The air was still thick with the smell of incense, the sunlight streaming in from the church windows was caught in the smoke. I was surrounded by silence. I’m not religious, but I do like the peacefulness you find in churches, and that peaceful silence focused my mind on the art hanging on the old brick walls. I thought about people crammed in to tiny boats, I thought about people risking everything in order to find safety. I thought about hope and fear, and despite my best efforts, I found myself choking back tears. This was a powerful, thought provoking exhibition. It took place just a few days before the EU referendum, a campaign that seemed to focus entirely on immigration and very little else. Of course, as I write this, the big vote still hasn’t happened. I have no idea which UK, which Walthamstow I will be living in by the time this is printed, and that’s probably why the E17 Summer exhibition really resonated with me. It made me think about fear, and hope, it made me think about one word, welcome. Walthamstow means place of welcome, and over its long journey from small village in Essex to part of one of the greatest cities in the world, Walthamstow has welcomed one and all. I hope more than anything that when I’m sat in the pub reading this in the printed issue, we are still that place of welcome. A home when someone needs it, a collective outstretched hand, one voice saying, come in, make yourself at home. www.walthamstowdiary.com
36
L t IA ur n C R E FE yo e SP F ff ntm O o oi % pp 25 t a s fir
I’ve just got home from a visit to St Barnabas Church, which, if you’ve never been, is a magnificent red brick church sandwiched between Boundary Road and Queens Road. I was at St Barnabas to have a nose around the E17 Summer Exhibition. Organised by Emma Scutt, the exhibition featured work by ten local artists, all inspired by the theme ‘refugee’. The exhibition also raised money for the Walthamstow Migrants Action Group, which aims to support migrants, and challenge the negativity they can face.
E17 Georgian Village Shop 7, 100 Wood Street Walthamstow E17 3HX
07931 731 287 Read about how we help transform lives and help the community www.thehairworksproject.co.uk info@thehairworksproject.co.uk
facebook.co.uk/ thehairworksproject
@thehairworksproject
@hwproject1