40,000 sign petitions to save Whipps

19 January. Chingford and Woodford Green MP Ian Duncan Smith presented the parliamentary petition signed by 21,000 residents to the House of Commons on 18 January, bringing the total - including some 19,000 who signed the Waltham Forest Guardian petition - to 40,000.

People from all over the area have been out collecting signatures. One member of Whipps Cross staff personally collected 2000. Schools, surgeries, churches etc. have circulated the petition, showing the strength of feeling in the community.