Author: Wansteadium

Of all the roads


People using Blake Hall Road have suffered enough over the years. But today’s fallen tree blocking the road in both directions might have left them (and perhaps their excuse-weary bosses?) more exasperated than normal.

The first Last Straw supporters

We’re delighted to be able to tell you that our campaign to persuade cafes, bars and restaurants in Wanstead to stop using plastic straws has got its first supporters.

Bare Brew, the hip new cafe at the Snaresbrook end of the High Street, has enthusiastically joined the campaign and is already using rather fetching candy-striped paper straws.

More Italy, the wonderful gastronomia run by Vincenzo Cossaro, has come on board and ditched its plastic straws.

The Larder, which needs no introduction, has removed its plastic straws from the counter and is having a delivery of paper straws this weekend.

The ever-popular Cuckfield is running down its plastic supplies and moving to paper-only from mid-February.

THANK YOU TO ALL THESE EXCELLENT WANSTEAD ESTABLISHMENTS. Please do support them as they play their part in doing the right thing.

Other establishments are of course more than welcome to join in – let us know via info@wansteadium.com and we’ll be sure to spread the word.

Another delay for M&S (but it’s still coming)


M&S have confirmed that there has been another delay to the opening of its Wanstead Simply Food shop, but say it is still coming.

Meanwhile, passers-by who are wondering what is going on with the newly painted green shop, formerly the site of Roast, should soon have their curiosity answered as work is going on to complete the job. It’s pure guesswork but some have seen in the chosen colour a similarity to the Vape shop in George Lane. Wansteadium has no information at all to go on, but suspects it will remain a restaurant.

George Lane (via Google Streetview)

The Last Straw campaign spreads

The Last Straw for Wanstead campaign to persuade cafes, restaurants and bars to stop using plastic straws – which we launched last week – has been mirrored by the Evening Standard which announced on Monday it was seeking to encourage all of London to do the same.

We are hoping shortly to announce our first signatory coffee shop – it takes a bit of time to arrange supplies of alternative paper straws – but the extra impetus from the Standard’s campaign is fantastically welcome. You can read more about it here.

In the meantime, we encourage Wansteadium readers either not to take straws with their drinks or to ask if paper straws are available.

Announcing: The Last Straw for Wanstead

Photo: Flickr user Tiffany Terry

Wansteadium is delighted to get behind a new campaign to persuade cafes, bars and restaurants in Wanstead to stop supplying plastic drinking straws – with the aim of becoming completely straw-free. The campaign is the idea of Wansteadium reader Karen Myers, who has already started bending the ear of some of the cafe owners. She writes:

Following harrowing scenes on Blue Planet II, there is a move afoot to make Wanstead plastic straw free. Several cafes have already been approached to see if they would consider using paper straws, or better still, no straws. Please keep the momentum growing by refusing straws and hopefully the ripples will spread.

It’s a simple way to start making a change to the amount of waste plastic being produced and disposed of.

Any cafe/bar/restaurant who wants to support the campaign, please get in touch with us via info@wansteadium.com – you will receive a hearty pat on the back on this blog.

And anyone who needs persuading that straws are a bad thing is invited to watch this video from YouTube. Warning – you may find this distressing (but it has a happy ending). Once you see this you probably won’t ever want a straw again.

New blog on the block

There’s a new blog on the block – Wanstead Ward News – being put together by good egg Dan Slipper who last year arranged a community clean-up of Cambridge Park.

He’s taking a robust approach to matters  – and has discovered through a Freedom of Information application that Redbridge has spent £14k on “civic regalia” in the past two years. He is also trying to get confirmation from the council about what civic regalia actually is.

You can find the new blog at wansteadwardnews.wordpress.com. Good luck to it and welcome.