On Thursday 15th October, the Church of England Junior School in Shaftesbury Road will host an evening dedicated to the filmmakers who recorded Chingford life over the years
The remarkable story of Chingford’s past will be brought back to life next month at a special celebration marking 75 years of Acorn Films – the amateur film group that spent over half a century capturing everyday local life.
On Thursday 15th October, the Church of England Junior School in Shaftesbury Road will host an evening dedicated to the filmmakers who recorded street parties, celebrity and VIP visits to schools, civic events and familiar faces long before smartphones made everyone a cameraman.
Their most famous creation, The Chingford Newsreel, featuring the distinctive voice of Acorn anchor David Piggott, became a much‑loved fixture of local life, with families packing into halls to watch the year’s events unfold on screen.
The occasion marks the launch of From Little Acorns – the legacy of Acorn Films & The Chingford Newsreel, a new book by author Theresa Reynolds.
Fast paced and packed with restored photographs, the book charts how Acorn’s volunteers created a vivid record of a community in motion – and why their work still matters today. Reynolds, who has had access to the entire Acorn archive and whose research included interviews with “Acorn‑Famous” shop‑owners and politicians, will open the event with a short talk before introducing a presentation on the archive’s history and restoration.
The evening will continue with the premiere of a new film by award‑winning filmmaker Linda McDonald Cairns. Her documentary blends original newsreel footage with interviews from people who appeared in – or were closely connected to – Acorn’s productions, offering a fresh and contemporary look at the group’s influence on local identity.
The film sits alongside the book as a central part of the celebration, giving audiences two complementary perspectives on Acorn’s legacy.
Gary Stone, who chaired the Chingford Historical Society when the book was commissioned and has spent months cleaning and restoring archive photographs, says the collection is far more than a nostalgic curiosity.
“The Acorn Films archive is one of Chingford’s greatest educational resources — a visual record of how ordinary people shaped the place we live,” he explains. “Preserving and sharing this material ensures Acorn’s legacy continues, inspiring new generations to value their own community stories.”
Current Chingford Historical Society chair David Boote will open the event, describing it as a tribute to the volunteers whose cameras quietly chronicled the town for more than five decades.
The entire programme will be streamed live via Zoom to those who have booked through Eventbrite (Book here)
Read more: Residents invited to event commemorating landmark Chingford documentary
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