Category: Wansteadium

Week one of the 13th Wanstead Fringe has been an amazing affair with sold out venues across the range of events. Wansteadium’s personal favourite was the House of Scandal at St Mary’s a tantalising clip of which is posted below (and no, there are no plans for a repeat performance).

Week two is now under way – there are tickets still remaining for several cool events including many of the plays and talks. You can see some highlights below, and to get email updates from the Fringe team click here. Also, in a new venture for this year, daily updates along with late-breaking news are being shared in a Fringe Whatsapp group which you can sign up for here.

Followers of Wanstead Cricket Club’s fortunes have a nervy day in store as the first team play in the national T20 club final.

The match takes place in Wormsley, the ground created by the late John Paul Getty, a cricket obsessive.

The nerves are, naturally, because of the importance of the game. But also the weather, as heavy rain is expected. Organisers have brought the start time earlier to try to get a complete game in.

But from your followers here, we wish the Wanstead team the best of luck., and remember: line and length.

Aldersbrook parenting guru, and former Wanstead Book Festival speaker, Martha Deiros Collado (aka Dr Martha), gets a big write up in today’s Times. Bravo!

After days of unpredictable weather, things look set fair for the start of the 13th Wanstead Fringe – three weeks of theatre, music, comedy, authors, tours and more.

While programmes are being distributed, tickets for all events are now on sale at the Fringe website. Day 1 sees the start of theatre, with a production of Contractions taking place at the Wanstead Curtain, an astronomy taster at Wanstead Cricket Club and two of the Fringe’s biggest events:

• The Duke Street Party will again transform Nightingale Lane with music, food and family activities throughout the day.

• And the Open Air Kinema in Christ Church gardens – for many people the definitive Fringe event – still has tickets left. The entertainment tonight is Paddington in Peru. Don’t miss it – we always say this, but it’s the most atmospheric night in the Wanstead calendar.

You can sign up for email updates from the Fringe team here and in a new venture for this year, daily updates along with late-breaking news are being shared in a Fringe Whatsapp group which you can sign up for here.

Redbridge officials have responded to a complaint about how it handled the consultation over introducing permanent market stalls on Wanstead High Street by saying they went ‘above and beyond’ what was necessary.

Just 80 responses came from the borough-wide consultation last year, and yet the change in policy was introduced by the council cabinet. As has been reported, the consulation consisted of notices published in a newspaper which is no longer printed, and hidden behind opaque Facebook ads.

In a response to former Wanstead Society committee member Geoff Horsnell, officials have defended their consultation, and said they didn’t involve the Wanstead Society in it because they were ‘not aware’ of it. Even if officials had been aware of it, they said, they had been under no obligation to consult it.

This is an excerpt of the response:

The response will no doubt raise eyebrows among the Wanstead residents who had little or no idea such a significant change to the character of the Wanstead Conservation Zone was being introduced.

The inside track on the Rector of Wanstead, the Reverend James Gilder, reacting to thieves robbing Wanstead Co-op.

I was in the Co-op buying some postage stamps when I heard a commotion.  Two thieves rushed past me and I didn’t have much of a chance to react, but turning I saw another slower one, who had tripped over.  Staff were approaching but understandably, didn’t want to touch him, presumably due to their own safety and training.  So I used my not-inconsiderable weight to detain the man from getting away, by very inexpertly restraining him on the floor.  He kept claiming I’d punched him in the eye, which was absolute rubbish.  All I could think to say back was ‘I’m the vicar for goodness sake!’. 

A member of staff called the police.  As it was likely to take quite a long time to deal with and I had work to do, I checked that everyone was ok, and that the man wasn’t going to run off before the police arrived – then I bought my stamps and left in order to catch the post as it was about half past four.

It was a spur of the moment thing and I probably wouldn’t recommend anyone getting involved in this way.

Rev Gilder, who combines his duties with being a magistrate, is definitely not seeking the limelight (he was responding to Wansteadium’s query), but crime on Wanstead High Street is something exercising people.

Wansteadium reader Gemma writes:

“The lack of police presence or shop security has led to an increased number of shops (Boots, Tesco, Co-op & M&S) being robbed several times on a daily basis. Staff are left shaken and yet no changes are made from headquarters or in regards to police presence. Recently my four-year-old witnessed two quite violent robberies at both the Co-op & Boots involving armed men wearing balaclavas! No one feels safe on the high street & crime/safety of residents is being put into question.”

• Longtime readers may be interested to know that this is the 3,000th post Wansteadium has run since its inception in 2010.