Vaclav Havel, an old hero of mine from the days when Czechoslovakia was just about as iced up as the cold war could make it, described 'civil society', as that part of the social sphere in which citizens participate - in many parallel, mutually complementary ways - in public life, in the administration of public goods and in public decisions. It is sometimes thought to be a fragile flower in a places like Walthamstow, with its disparate multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-lingual and transient populations. This is, after all, a place where theisms meet consumerisms, inner city meets suburb and the tectonic plates of the underclass, traditional working class and middle class rub along each other in apparent mutual incomprehension at our transport hubs, in the commercial centres like the High Street and shopping mall, in our pubs, churches, synagogues and mosques, and at the gates of our local schools.

So it may surprise readers of my blogs to know that the delicate flower of our civil society is actually far more flourishing than my railing against the chaos caused by clashing of public etiquettes, business practices, the crime and the grime might suggest. This is still, despite the terrorist cells, the con artists, gun crimes, stabbings and muggings, a place where people trust each other enough to have created a vibrant and eclectic mix of completely voluntary groupings, centred around mutual activities and interests, or even, when the council doesn't put the kybosh on it, simply having fun.

There are many aspects of life which bring us together. Some are centred about shared experiences and cares. Others around intellectual interests. One popular activity or interest is horticulture. I have mentioned previously the concern, indeed anger, that was felt as Lord Coe made his land grab for people's allotments on the edges of our borough; anger at the dispossession, at the vandalism that ensued, and the disdain with which people's passion for their allotments was treated in the name of a 'green' Olympics.

Allotment holding, as centred around groups like the Walthamstow Town's Allotment Association is not the only horticultural activity in evidence locally. Most people who have even the tiniest of gardens try to do something with them. Pam, a resident at Essex Close has for quite a few years now even developed and maintained the public space between the flats and the Forest Rd pavement. She does it all from her own pocket.

There are associations centred around mutual love of such activities, for instance, the Waltham Forest Fuchsia, Pelargonium and Horticultural Society, which advertises its monthly meetings to all through little adverts on the noticeboard in Sainsbury's and on the internet alike. Its meetings, on the last Monday of every month, take place at the Conservative Club in Church Lane from 8.00pm to 10.00pm, with a break for refreshments at 9.00pm. Those who like their flowers freshly cut and stuck in vases can gather at 7.30pm on the 4th Thursday of the month for meetings of the Walthamstow Floral Art Society at Greenleaf Road Baptist Church.

Other groups, reflecting the mutual interest of residents in their environment as well as their desire to be neighbourly, include the Blackhorse Action Group, the Walthamstow Village Residents Association, Friends of Lloyd Park, Friends of Stoneydown Park, the Cleveland Park Residents’ Association, and less formal groupings in places like Elmfield Road, where residents have jointly adopted some land and planted trees in a partnership with the council.

Other groupings include all the usual and some obscure sporting and artistic activities, as well as community groups centred round the specific cultural heritage of some of the many diverse peoples who have come here from overseas. There are so many of these I will not list them here. Just look them up under United Nations. Many others are specific to the area's culture and history, such as the Walthamstow Owners and Welfare Association, which looks after retired greyhounds. Some, like the Blackhorse and Standard Women’s North West Clog Morris are simply one-offs, while others, like the Walthamstow Lions and the Scouts are small but locally important parts of huge global networks of voluntary associations.