Wanstead news roundup, 15.11.10; Swings, Paphitis, Stone

• Up to £14K could be spent renovating the stone on the corner of Hollybush Hill which historically gave Leytonstone its name. The money would be spent on cleaning the stone, putting a plaque next to it explaining its history and, perhaps strangely, removing the pedestrian safety barriers nearby.

• Campaigners are holding a Take Back Wanstead Flats event next Sunday at which they plan to stake out the area proposed for the police’s Olympic base. Meanwhile one campaigner, Kevin Blowe, says in 2008/9 Redbridge issued 16% of the UK’s fixed penalty notices for flyposting, and that 49% of them were subsequently cancelled. He says he was issued with one for a poster put on a tree on Wanstead High Street, but it was withdrawn.

• Five playgrounds in Redbridge are to be renovated with some new government money, but none of them is in Wanstead.

• Dragon’s Den’s Theo Paphitis, amid preparations for Children In Need, had his dinner in Wanstead on Thursday, (presumably at Nam Am).

• Nice things said about Wansteadium, I

Mum just let me know Mike Leigh’s new film was shot on my Nana’s old road in Wanstead 🙂 http://bit.ly/bRpEC5 (nice local London blog too)less than a minute ago via Twitter for iPhone

UPDATE MONDAY, 2330 GMT: The plan to clean the stone at Hollybush Hill has been shelved, on the grounds of cost, reports Wanstead Guardian.