Author: Wansteadium

MONDAY, Day 3
The main event of today’s Fringe activities is the debate to be held tonight concerning the future of the Evergreen Field. Few issues (apart from parking) raises Wanstead people’s temperature as much as the future of this field – a wasted spot of wasteland in the middle of the High Street. Few people want it to be developed, but does anyone have the resources to obtain the land for community use? The debate will take place at the Cherry Tree Cafe on Woodbine Place from 7.30pm.

IN OTHER FRINGE NEWS
In other news, the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party Meets Teddy Bear’s Picnic turned out to be a real success, despite the unpromising weather forecasts and initially drizzly conditions. But the sun came out and real actual picnics took place, along with an afternoon’s petanque. It seems the French are on to something – many thanks to Matt and Lisa Scott Keen for organising the event.

Apologies for an interruption to our website on Sunday afternoon and evening. But we’re back now. And we would encourage you not to dilly dally in buying your tickets for the open air cinema on Friday night, and the grand Comedy Finale on Saturday night.

Retro pics of 70s & 80s #Wanstead@#onthebuses found online pic.twitter.com/GunHeBMNdk

— Tony (@SerenityRecs) September 8, 2013

Found these wonderful Retro pics of 70s & 80s Wanstead pic.twitter.com/XSXfTQHz3G

— Tony (@SerenityRecs) September 8, 2013

Geoff Wilkinson writes on Wanstead Daily Photo: “I have been seeing these Post Office vans darting around Wanstead for some time. They have Post Brenhinol on one side and the more traditional logo on the other. Are these vans used in both England and Wales or is there some other reason ? Not that I mind, I think our ‘posties’ do really well, it gives Wanstead an even more  unique feel.”

There are two big events today which demand your attention – as well as second chances to indulge in yoga sessions among the trees (10.30am & 11.30), and walking and talking and learning how to take better photos (2pm).

The first big occasion is the Mad Hatters Tea Party Meets Teddy Bear’s Picnic: of all the events of this first Wanstead Fringe, this is the first big family get together. From 12.30pm people will be gathering on Christchurch Green for picnics, hat-wearing and Teddy Bear encounters. Bring a cake if you can, and share it in a spirit of neighbourliness.

And though the conkers won’t be bashed at this first Fringe (next year, conkers, we’ll get you next year), there WILL be petanque. As this tweeted picture shows, Matt – one of the picnic catalysts – spent much of last night preparing the ground for communal petanquery. Come along and try out your hand.

@Wansteadium preparing the court for petonque tomorrow! #WansteadFringe #gettingdark pic.twitter.com/Ju1Ym4Azfl

— Matt Keen (@Matt__Keen) September 7, 2013

Then later in the day – from 6pm at Bar Room Bar – there will be a Soul, Rare Groove, SKA and Reggae evening thanks to The State We’re In. Those suffering modlife crises are welcome, of course, but this won’t just be for them. Come along and hear some cool tunes.

 

*Thank you to everyone who stopped to chat at our Wanstead Fringe stall on the High Street during Saturday. If you didn’t get a programme and a badge, you can still pick them up in the Larder.

*Sales of tickets for the open air cinema are selling strongly. Though the Wanstead Cricket Club pitch at Overton Drive  is magnificent and large, there is a legal limit on the number of people who can attend, so if you are keen to be there, we do advise you go and book tickets now.

*And we haven’t yet had much chance to talk about our grand finale event which will be taking place next Saturday night. What better way to mark a Fringe than with comedy? This is a special one-off Saturday night appearance of the Wanstead Comedy Night. You will definitely want to get tickets for this sorted asap – they are £10, which is a small price to pay for being able to see great comedy acts from the comfort of your own Wanstead.

*For daily updates on the Fringe, sign up for Wansteadium e-mail newsletters, follow us on Twitter or Facebook.

So here we are, the FIRST DAY of the first Wanstead Fringe. And it’s a busy old day for activities, as any visitors to the High Street will find out. There will be a Wanstead Fringe stall on the High Street – come along and say hello and pick up a free badge (don’t say we never spoil you).

Here’s a quick rundown of today’s events, with some pointers to plan for tomorrow.

Pop Up Drinkable Courtyard
What better place to start than the Time for Tea tearoom opposite Snaresbrook Station. Designers Pocket of Green have created a marvellous experience in the tearoom courtyard which is well worth a visit. And they are offering one visitor a prize of a small cloud pruned tree in a stylish black boulder pot.

Tree Yoga
If larger trees are your thing, Katriye Ibrahim is running open air yoga sessions on Christchurch Green. There are three sessions today – 9am, 2pm and 3pm.

Wanstead Art Trail
The Art Trail begins today as well as the Fringe, so there is no shortage of absorbing art to enjoy at shops and cafes all over Wanstead. Pick up a programme at most shops. And there is a day of arty workshops at the Wanstead Library – details here.

Photowalk
The first of photographer Geoff Wilkinson’s photo walks will take at 2pm from his gallery on Nightingale Lane. Ring Geoff to check late availability of places on 0797 466 2881

Vintage Fair
While all this is going on, the increasingly popular Wanstead Vintage Fashion and Brocante Fair is taking place in the Christ Church Hall. It offers men’s and women’s clothing from the 1920s to 1980s, along with jewellery and homeware.

DAY TWO
Day Two, that’s Sunday 8 September, looks like a cracker too. As well as a second chance to experience Tree Yoga and Geoff’s Photowalk, there will be a great family event taking place on Christchurch Green – a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party Meets Teddy Bear’s Picnic. Bring your picnic from 12.30 – or whenever you can make it – and wear either a hat or bring a Teddy Bear. We had hoped to stage a Conker Tournament, but nature seems to be against us on this occasion and the conkers haven’t yet fallen. But there will be petanque and any other games you care to bring along. Why not bake a cake and share it with someone?

Later in the day, from 6pm at Bar Room Bar, there is an evening of Soul, Rare Groove, SKA and Reggae, brought home by The State We’re In.

We’ll be bringing you a daily update here on Wansteadium during the Fringe, so keep in touch. You can get daily e-mail newsletters by signing up here. And don’t forget to book tickets for the Open Air Cinema on Friday – tickets really are selling fast, which is a very gratifying surprise for everyone involved.

And one other thing – do please tell your friends and neighbours about the Fringe. Tweet about it, mention it on Facebook. And do send us photos so we can keep a record of this pretty nifty moment in Wanstead history.

Wansteadium is delighted to confirm what should be one of the undoubted highlights of the Wanstead Fringe: the return of cinema to Wanstead!

For some years Wansteadium has harboured a desire to bring an open air family film to Wanstead, and that is exactly what is to happen on the evening of Friday 13 September when a screen will go up at Wanstead and Snaresbrook Cricket Club in Overton Drive.

It all seems like a decent way to mark the end of the first week back at school and at the same time cling on to the last vestiges of the summer of 2013. And by a curious coincidence, the event will mark – to the month – 100 years since cinema first came to Wanstead.

So we will be showing Despicable Me, the 2010 animated film starring Steve Carell. Bring cushions, picnic blankets, some nibbles, and perhaps a jumper as well. The club’s bar will be open, and lattes, cappuccinos and hot chocolates will be served from the boot of a VW Beetle. It will be an atmospheric and memorable evening for adults and minions alike.

Since we are expecting this to be a popular event, we recommend you go over to the Wanstead Fringe website and book tickets now so that you can be sure to get in. The site accepts cards and PayPal. Tickets are £5 for adults and £2 for children.

But why, you may be asking, is it Kinema? The answer lies in Wanstead’s own cinema which, according to the Cinema Treasures website, opened in October 1913. It was in what is now the former snooker hall next to the George (left), and though it was at first called the Wanstead Empire, it became the Kinema in 1930.

It closed in 1956 – its last film was Laurence Olivier in Richard III – and since then the building has been used as a bowling alley, a nightclub (“Night-owl”), a bingo hall, gym and now snooker hall.

So Wansteadium is proud of its Kinema project to bring back films to Wanstead. Like the Fringe itself, this is just a start – and with the right backing from the kind of people who read this blog, who knows what might happen?

Big thanks will be due to the officers of the Wanstead Cricket Club for their support, and to Petty Son and Prestwich for their serious generosity.

Now go and book some tickets.