Author: Wansteadium

Police ‘foil armed robbery’ on Wanstead High Street

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Police have denied shots were fired on Wanstead High Street shortly after 9am today as armed officers appeared to foil an attempted robbery on the Wanstead post office.

Plain clothed police swarmed the area amid reports that they were ready and waiting for the robbery to take place. Witnesses saw a man detained on the road.

Two elderly women said they heard two shots being fired, but thought it was a car backfiring.

One Wansteadium reader, Dan Clapton, said: “Shortly after 9am there was a shout of ‘armed police’ and two loud bangs, followed by some shrieks. Plain clothed armed police were pinning a white male to the ground by a small white van outside Tescos. The whole of the high street is now closed off. Armed police everywhere. There was a cash van about to make a delivery.”

Update 10am: Wanstead Guardian is reporting that police say an arrest has been made, and that shots were not fired – the sounds heard were cars hitting each other.

Update 1pm: Police now saying they fired “Hatton Rounds”. (Wikipedia defines these as: “They are used by military and SWAT teams to quickly force entry into a locked room. Amongst police, these rounds are nicknamed ‘master keys’, and their use is known as ‘Avon calling’.”)

Update 1.15pm: Operations appear to be continuing around Colvin Gardens on the Nightingale Estate, where a car has been covered with tarpaulin.

Wanstead Guardian posts this video on YouTube:

Send any info to wansteadium@gmail.com

Wanstead Cricket, 4-6 May

Our man on the boundary writes:

“The Bank Holiday Weekend at Wanstead Cricket Club brought lots of high drama with the U16 Matchplay team losing by 2 runs in a closely fought game against Goresbrook with the stand-out performance from Mohammed Shahriyar (67).

On Saturday the 1st team were defeated by 60 runs against Buckhurst Hill in the League Cup while the 2nd team won the reverse fixture by 10 runs thanks to 61 from 25 balls from David Richardson featuring six 6s.

Sunday saw friendly action at Overton Drive with visitiors Kingfisher CC providing a strong challenge.  Kingfisher CC fell 15 runs short chasing 267 in 40 overs.  Adam Lord provided teh backbone to the batting with an unbeaten 90 but the shock performance was from wicketkeeper Jonathan Das (in leg-spinner guise) who took 6 wickets.

On Thursday 9 May Dutch ladies team Groen Geel visit Overton Drive to take on the Wanstead Ladies Team in a Twenty20 match as part of their tour of England. Kicking-off at 6pm, Wanstead CC are rolling out the orange carpet for our international visitors with a BBQ!  The bar will of course be open and the ladies would like as much support as possible to show how hospitable Wanstead is.

Wanstead weekend photo, XVII

 

© Geoff Wilkinson, who writes on Wanstead Daily Photo: "Driving along Addison Road the other day I did a double take when I saw this white van. There sitting affixed to the front of the van were this pair of Michelin men, I haven't seen these for years, where have they been hiding? Michelin man is the symbol of the Michelin tyre company and was introduced at the Lyon Exhibition in 1894. It is one of the worlds oldest trademarks and always smiling."
© Geoff Wilkinson, who writes on Wanstead Daily Photo: “Driving along Addison Road the other day I did a double take when I saw this white van. There sitting affixed to the front of the van were this pair of Michelin men, I haven’t seen these for years, where have they been hiding? Michelin man is the symbol of the Michelin tyre company and was introduced at the Lyon Exhibition in 1894. It is one of the worlds oldest trademarks and always smiling.”

 

Wanstead gardening: Come friendly bees

Wansteadium’s gardening blogger, Ron, 91, gets ready for another season in the sun.

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This is the third summer now, I think, that we’ve done these gardening articles. I’m sincerely hoping that this is going to be a good year – especially after last year – but it hasn’t started all that well to be honest.

I haven’t been to Wanstead Park this year, but I hear the bluebells are out now. I’ve got two or three clumps just flowering in my garden now – it’s late this year, but that’s not surprising when you remember how cold it’s been.

After last year’s miserable time, I did have high hopes for this year, but I don’t know what’s going on with the fruit trees. The apple blossom is doing well, but plum and other trees like my almonds really don’t seem to be doing very well. I haven’t seen really any bees about this year – I know someone was talking on Wansteadium a couple of weeks ago about their hives dying out from starvation because the winter went on so long, and I wonder if that might have something to do with it.

Anyone who’s been given a hyacinth in a pot, now’s a good time to plant them out in the garden so that they can come up next year. Don’t just throw them away, for goodness sake.

I’m just getting ready to plant out some of the vegetables I’ve grown from seeds in my lean-to, where it’s nice and warm.

This year I’ve done some shallots – and they’re doing pretty well so far. You’ll need to half set them into the ground – that means planting them with the bulb not completely covered with soil. But you will have to be careful that the birds don’t take a fancy to the twiggy stalk sticking up, because they may well come along and pull the whole lot up. Plant them about nine or 10 inches apart, and in two or three months you should have a number of shallots growing round each plant.

I’m also trying with some dwarf beans and Brussels sprouts. It’s good to try different growing different things.

In all the years I’ve been here in Wanstead, and with all the places I’ve been to, somehow I’ve never made it to the Columbia Road flower market on a Sunday morning in Hackney. My friends tell me it’s a great thing to go to, if you can get there early enough before the crowds arrive. I’ll maybe try and go this year. These photos my friends took look interesting.

 

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Wanstead’s first hedgehog of Spring

Wansteadium reader Amir Gadwah writes:

On Monday 29th April 9:30pm we stopped suddenly as a little creature came running across from Northumberland Ave to the forest. I realised that it was a hedgehog, young and small.

This is welcome news indeed. Longtime readers will know that where hedgehogs are concerned, Wansteadium’s much admired impartiality takes a hike. Any more sightings are welcome, and if you can manage it, photos or videos too. Somehow we see the hedgehog as a barometer of natural Wanstead, carrying on despite whatever we throw at it.

Reports can be emailed to hedgehogs@wansteadium.com

Costa’s Wanstead plans step up

After months of discussion, Costa seems finally to be moving on its Wanstead plans.

The firm yesterday advertised for the post of Wanstead store manager for a salary of £18,000 – £21,000, but does offer a 60% bonus scheme. In April the firm applied for permission for illuminated signs for a cafe at the former Enigma hairdressers at Clockhouse Parade. The application has not yet been decided, but the Wanstead Society is opposing the application, as they do with all plans for illuminated signs.

Last week a branch of the cafe chain opened in George Lane in South Woodford.

Earlier this year it was revealed that 1,700 people applied for just eight positions created when Costa opened a new cafe in Nottingham.

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