All donations received will be used solely for the campaign to Save Our Stow. Regular account updates will be posted on our website and any monies remaining at the conclusion of our campaign will be donated to the Retired Greyhound Trust. Thank you for your support.
If any local residents would like to contact SOS directly - Rick Holloway is available by email: rickyjholloway@gmail.com or by phone: 07913 325674
Save Walthamstow Cinema hopes that Waltham Forest Council take the same decision with Walthamstow Stadium as they did with Walthamstow's EMD/Granada cinema. Namely to help safeguard it's future as one of the borough's most important leisure venues and heritage assets; providing a source of employment, pride, enjoyment and identity for future generations of Waltham Forest residents and visitors.
No.1
Simply put L&Q have become a massive organisation and cash rich. They are doing what they want.
The land banking of the Stow site when there is a perfectly viable alternative proposal that will benefit all the community is almost criminal.
The delivery of social housing and affordable homes is now effectively privatised and these large organisations need feeding. I am not surprised they have ignored most of who will be affected as they have never asked anyone if they want the return of the Stow.
I hope the Councillors have seen through all this and refuse any L&Q applications until they learn to consult properly and react accordingly.
No.2
Did anyone notice that in last weeks waltham forest guardian there were no less that 3 seperate articles involving L&Q, In all 3 articles the residents of waltham forest disagree with L&Qs proposals and plans, yet L&Q still maintain “Thats its plans are shaped in consultation with local residents” are they talking about the 6% of local residents that were undecided whether they want greyhound racing to be returned to the “stow”. If L&Q are prepared to brush aside the wishes of 94% of local residents in order to get what they want then this says a lot about them as a charity, In my opinion, even though L&Q say thay will make a loss of £25 million if they redevelop the stow, The executives will probably earn tens of thousands of pounds from tendering contracts to various building companies and trades who will be queing up to do the work, i wonder where this money will go? i doubt if it will end up in L&Qs bank account, maybe thats why they are happy to make a loss of £25 million of taxpayers money so that they can beef up their own bank accounts. This whole affair leaves a very nasty taste in my mouth,
It is now time for the government to step in and put an end to this blatant wastage of taxpayers money and bring those responsable to justice, L&Qs behavior makes the MPs expenses scandal look like petty.
thank you both Iain and Stella this is abs scandulous its taking all this time? Boris must hang his head in shame and do the right thing to save face and resign !!!!!!…A travesty for the borough,, ive just seen his statement on waltham forest guardian web,,,,wat a abs joke,,, no planned racing for the stow??? Has he not seen wat sos have done or proposed??? maybe a turned blind eye
I totally agree with all comments left on this site-today ,is a very sad day indeed, SOS have fought a long hard battle all in vain, hopes had been raised only to be repeatedly dashed throughout this campaign. When all said and done money did talk!!! But the irony of it all it’s the tax payer who has been the loser here, L&Q were shown how shady their dealings had been from the very off with so called viability studies, resident support??? Iffy media studies, so-called affordable housing that ultimately nobody will be able to afford anyway- the list is endless.
I feel aggrieved for greyhound racing and the community in Waltham Forest because they don’t deserve this smack in the face. What Boris failed to understand that employment, leisure and above all community spirit would have thrived if the STOW turnstiles were allowed to have re-opened once more, families thronged to the track every Saturday night as regular as clockwork and whoever said this track lost money year on year was as balmy as the mayor himself.
Just hope that along with Ian Duncan Smith and Stellla Creasey and the SOS team continue the fight by escalating this higher than the mayors office and try and get an enquiry into how on earth L&Q are allowed to continue to trade on the basis of what has gone on over the past four years squandering tax payers money against all our wishes.
I thought Boris Johnson was genuine but he has now proved himself to be as bad as the rest! The Stow is part of Walthamstow and should be kept as it was, it was never empty and if you wanted a table to have dinner there it was months before you could get one – what is going on?!!!
As somebody who’s grandad attended every meeting at the stow since its opening and myself enjoyed going.on some nights there were more staff than people having a bet.the face of the borough has changed over the years and the hunger for greyhound racing isn’t the same as it was people attended at the end more for nostalgic reasons. I hate L&Q and everything they stand for but accept that this fight is one SOS is not going to win Romford and Harlow are busy because the people who attended the stow in the past have moved to those areas. Most immigrant communities don’t see greyhound racing as a good night out I love Waltham forest and it’s diversity but am resigned to seeing my stow turn into another L&Q monstrosity hope I’m wrong
how can the mayor of london have that title and show his face when he has blatently lied for votes, he does not give a damm he’s as bent as the bendy buses which he also destroyed for his own eago shame on you doris ooops boris i mean.