Leyton and Wanstead MP John Cryer has announced he will not be standing in the general election on 4 July. He will be stepping down to spend more time with his young family.
The decision means the Labour Party will need to nominate someone else to contest the seat which has been solidly Labour since it was created in 1997.
Cryer, 60, has been Wanstead’s MP since 2010 – he followed the footsteps of his father and mother, both of whom were MPs. He tweeted on Monday:
By Wansteadium’s opera reviewer Austin Allegro
Opera folk are accustomed to some or all of the characters ending up dead. In All Rest, the Wanstead-themed opera premiered in St Mary’s churchyard on Monday, everyone is dead to begin with.
However as audience members are led around the graves by robed spirits, the cast come back to life. Apparitions of various deceased sing their tales of loss, longing or lives lived; human voices rising above the birdsong in the evening sun. What nearby golfers would have made of it is not known.
Among the characters are Jessie Nutter, one of the sisters who bequeathed much to the people of Wanstead, enquiring of her sister what happened to the Green; a watchman waiting in the sentry box, night after night; the unnamed mother of 15-year-old Sarah clutching a doll as if it would bring her dead girl back; and, magnificently, astronomer-rector James Pound lighting up the shadows as he delights in having predicted an eclipse.
By walking among us, these dead mingle with the living, who are now only separated by accidents of time. Perhaps they are standing as a warning that it’s later than we think.
All Rest was composed by Italian-born (but Wanstead-living) Simone Spagnolo with libretto by Serena Braida, and was brought to life as part of St Mary’s Music Festival. The composition, staging and performance were of a standard rarely seen in these parts; more chances to experience it will be demanded.
The centenary of Wanstead High School is upon us, and as an opening salvo in the celebrations the school’s PTA has organised a centenary ball on 15 June.
A spokesman said: “This is a community event open to anyone who would like to support the school and the PTA – past pupils, parents, local businesses. There is a three course meal from the fabulous Rear Window restaurant at the Hitchcock, a band and a DJ. There will be a silent auction and raffle on the night with some high quality prizes donated by businesses from Wanstead and East London.
Tickets can be purchased here.
The church bells at St Mary’s which have been not up to their usual standards are now repaired and chiming away faithfully.
The hour strike has been missing, and the third quartet of the hour chimes had an extra beat to them, something which some some locals had noticed. But following some intrepid (but fully health-and-safety compliant) repair work the bells are back.
It’s just in time for the second St Mary’s Music Festival which starts on Saturday. Details are here.
But meanwhile here’s a treat – scenes captured from the tower by St Mary’s stalwart James Paterson.
Well durr. Wanstead commuters have a chance to speak to the line managers on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings from 4pm in the ticket hall. Be nice.
Congratulations to Wanstead Park councillor Sheila Bain who this week became Mayor of Redbridge. She said in her year in office she was hoping to help raise the profile of community groups, among others.
“We are a diverse borough,” she said. “This diversity is reflected in the range of positive activities across Redbridge. I particularly want to shine a light on our volunteers, people who do not even consider themselves volunteers but make a huge difference to people’s lives.”
