Category: Wansteadium

Congratulations to Wanstead Village councillor Jo Blackman, who has been selected as the Redbridge cabinet member with responsibility for the environment and civic pride. This elevates her from being a green campaigner – she was one of those behind Redbridge’s declaration of a climate emergency – to a position where she should be able to influence some change.

One immediate issue she’s going to have to deal with is controversy over Redbridge plans to ban traffic from outside two Wanstead primary schools – Nightingale and Snaresbrook – for three hours each school day. It’s part of a scheme to reduce air pollution, reduce traffic from near schools, and encourage children to walk to school. But the devil will be in the details – perhaps especially when people have become so dependent on the delivery of nearly everything.

Good luck to her in her new role.

Thanks @Jas_Athwal. I’m delighted to have been appointed cabinet member for the environment and civic pride.
I look forward to working with the cabinet, councillors and residents to tackle the climate emergency and ensure our neighbourhoods are clean and green. @RedbridgeLive https://t.co/IE9IfP0Gjg

— Jo Blackman (@Jcblackman) January 7, 2021

This is becoming a more common sight in Wanstead than the W12. As a means of communication it might look blunt, but at least it’s hard for its target market (those who aren’t at home) to ignore.

And of course no one should underestimate just how powerful slogans written on the side of buses can be.

Wanstead author Joseph Elliott is celebrating the publication of his second novel, the sequel to The Good Hawk which was published last year to great critical acclaim (including being called ‘thrilling’ by the New York Times and being nominated for the Carnegie medal).

The Broken Raven is the second part of an epic fantasy trilogy which has been compared to Game of Thrones and which has a protagonist with Down’s Syndrome. It’s pitched at young teenagers.

Joseph has lived in Wanstead for the past four years, and is well known to a generation of children through his acting and writing for comedy and children’s television. He is best known for playing pirate Cook in the CBeebies series Swashbuckle.

Congratulations to Joseph – and fingers crossed that if there is a Wanstead Fringe this year, it will be possible to arrange an event with him.

You can buy copies of both of Joseph’s books from Wanstead Bookshop below.

Kebabs are, as ever, a matter of taste. To be brutally honest, the new signage at the Wanstead Kebab House is a little too spicy for Wansteadium’s tastes. But then Wansteadium is rarely content where shop signs are concerned, as everyone knows.

Wansteadium has been privately celebrating its 10th anniversary – not really believing that an idle idea which started in the days when Gordon Brown was prime minister is STILL GOING.

So we thought that it might be interesting to look at the most read posts over our entire history. It’s sad not to see anything about hedgehogs in there, obviously, but otherwise it’s a real stroll down memory lane.

Thank you to everyone who has read this site over the past 10 years, and especially to those who receive updates by email. Sorry to everyone we haven’t posted as much as we should have done. But here’s to the next 10 years!

Wanstead to be on film again	Feb 2016
Confirmed: The Nightingale has closed	Sept 2017
Manor House shapes up	July 2014
The cows in Wanstead	Jan 2017
So what’s so tricky about driving tests in Wanstead?	June 2015
Nightingale on the Green is now open	July 2018
Armed police chase in Wanstead street	Nov 2016
Tom Hardy in Wanstead: The photo!	Feb 2016
Wanstead to get a Gail’s Bakery	May 2017
The Wanstead pool is coming! And that’s not all	March 2018
To the Manor reborn	July 2014
About Wansteadium	August 2010
The mystery of Saddam Hussein’s Wanstead bench	Nov 2018
Wanstead driving test routes mapped	May 2010
RIP Jill Stock	June 2019
Review: Long Horn	July 2014
M&S for Wanstead: It’s a yes	March 2017
Review of Luppolo, Wanstead	January 2015
Woodford goes	Feb 2017
Wanstead butcher: The Ginger Pig is talking…	Jan 2016

A new COVID-19 test centre is open today in Wanstead for those unable to work from home or those who have been in contact with someone who has tested positive. Only walk-ins are available for today.

Open from 10am-7pm.

Wanstead Youth Centre, 144 Elmcroft Avenue, E11 2DB pic.twitter.com/2oaDmeG8DU

— Redbridge Council (@RedbridgeLive) January 6, 2021

Very welcome news for Wanstead, coming a couple of days after this:

Up bright and early for 12 hours of vaccinating people in Wanstead and Woodford. We’re aiming to do 1,000 inoculations today. pic.twitter.com/okAIrf3VlC

— Keir Shiels (@keirshiels) January 2, 2021