Wansteadium

Wansteadium confesses its attention might have been on something else recently, but promises once again to try to do better.

In the meantime, one of our occasional news round-ups. Any one of these items could have been a story in its own right.

In 2012 Wanstead was much exercised by the brash signage on a new takeaway, BBQ Express, which replaced a takeaway previously there called Chicken Spot. Well things are changing again, and BBQ Express is to be replaced with a chicken shop.

• Meanwhile it’s RIP for Alba Trattoria. Before that there was La Marmiton, Longhorn, the Smokehouse, and Cinnamon. Longstanding residents please tell us what was before Cinnamon?
  
• All of which means there are more empty shops on Wanstead High Street than there have been for a very long time. Not good. Remember people, shop local.

• Joice, formerly Sumo Fresh, formerly the Olive Branch, has apparently changed names. Wansteadium couldn’t quite make out its new name (declining eyesight).
  
• The squat, if squat it be, continues but seems to do so quietly. O/H in Nightingale Lane: “Gail’s was a squat once, so our hopes are high for something nice.”
  
• The plan to demolish one of the last remaning parts of old Wanstead, the three shops on Woodbine Place, and replace them with a modern set of buildings, has reared its head again. Planners are considering them, but objections flew. One well-informed correspondent wrote: “The proposal is to demolish a locally listed centrally located and prominent building in the conservation area! This must be refused. The building is a charming vernacular terrace retaining original features such as the undulating clay pan tile roof. It harks back to when Wanstead truly was a village and its loss would be detrimental to the conservation area and Wanstead and Redbridge generally. Wanstead is the jewel in Redbridge’s crown and must be protected. The proposed replacement with a nondescript office block would be a step backwards – IT CERTAINLY DOES NOT ENHANCE THE CONSERVATION AREA.”
  
• We still wait and see what will become of the former Wanstead Dry Cleaners in the key position on the High Street. Intelligence please to info@wansteadium.com.

Redbridge is rolling out the weekly food waste collection to the rest of the borough after a trial – of which Wanstead was a big part. The figures from that pilot scheme seem to indicate a very convincing uptake of the service, with nearly 80% of the initial 10,000 households are regularly putting out their food waste bins. More than 400 tonnes of waste has been collected so far.

Food waste collections in Redbridge go to an anaerobic digestion facility in Dagenham where they are converted into fertiliser for farms and electricity and heat. They also reduce the amount of methane produced at landfill sites. So it’s a good thing.

Sian Nash, a Wanstead mum whose daughter Amelia had heart surgery at just seven days old, is hoping to raise thousands of pounds to help other children with similar conditions. She is walking 100 miles in an effort to raise funds for a baby heart charity, Tiny Tickers.

The charity said:

Sian’s pregnancy began smoothly, but at her 20‑week scan, her baby’s hands were
covering her chest, making it impossible for the sonographer to see her heart. A
repeat scan at 22 weeks revealed concerns, and Sian was referred to Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) for specialist assessment. There, doctors confirmed her baby had a coarctation of the aorta, a serious congenital heart defect requiring open‑heart surgery shortly after birth. “Our whole world turned upside down,” Sian said. “We were reassured it was treatable, but hearing your baby will need open‑heart surgery is something no parent is ever prepared for.”

Baby Amelia was born in May at the Royal London Hospital and taken straight to
NICU while the family waited for a bed at GOSH. Doctors soon discovered she also had a large hole in her heart. At just two days old she was transferred to GOSH, and at seven days old she underwent open‑heart surgery to repair the coarctation and reduce the size of the hole. After three weeks in hospital, the family were finally able to go home. But at three months old, Amelia’s vein re‑narrowed, and at four months she needed a balloon angioplasty to widen it again.

“She is the happiest, most sociable baby despite everything she’s been through,”
Sian added. “We are so proud of her.” Not all babies with congenital heart defects are born showing signs and symptoms of their condition. This is why early detection, ideally during pregnancy, is so crucial for survival and long-term quality of life.

Sian’s JustGiving page is here. The funds raised will go towards training sonographers to have the skills and confidence to detect heart defects at pregnancy scans, and to support families.

Anyone who attended any Fringe events is invited to give some feedback on the events they attended. It will all help the organisers work out what was good and what could have been better. And while you’re at it, there’s a chance to get involved for next year – the team are especially keen to hear from people who would be prepared to help with admin, publicity, theatre and project management.

The survey is here at wansteadfringe.org/survey

Cheers to the organisers of the fourth Wanstead Beer Festival which takes place this weekend, and which has already sold out of online and children’s tickets – apparently a few adult tickets are going to be available on the door. In just a few years it’s definitely become part of the cultural calendar, and good luck to it.

Idiot flytipper gives opportunity for old joke to resurface (see picture caption).