Leader – Turner the year

2022 will forever be remembered for the Queen’s death, Putin’s terrible war on Ukraine, and the continuation of the Covid pandemic.

At a national level, striking transport workers, nurses, paramedics and educators will long be etched in the memory – symptoms of a suffocating cost-of-living crisis.

In Hackney, protests have raged over racism in the police force, traffic restrictions, proposed library cuts and changes to motorcycle parking fees.

And the local food bank has seen unprecedented demand – largely down to more and more working people needing to use it (see stories, pages 1 and 5).

Annus horribilis? Hard to argue with. But in the spirit of a new year, and clutching to the perhaps forlorn hope that the only way is up, it is important to remember that good things happen too.

One such story is Veronica Ryan taking what many critics called a surprise victory in the Turner Prize.

It wasn’t as big a shock in Hackney, where residents have long enjoyed her Windrush sculptures of Caribbean fruit, inspired by childhood trips to Ridley Road and which Ryan has encouraged people to use as seats; a place to chat.

And it is that mix of recognising a painful history but doing so with a hopeful spirit and a sense of community that will serve us well as we cross the threshold into 2023.

Happy New Year to all of our readers.