Crafty thieving dilweeds have sneakily sawn through one of the bike racks at Wanstead Tube station in a way that could nastily trick an unsuspecting cyclist.
When the bar is sitting in line with the cemented part, it looks like there is nothing wrong with it – but when it is moved to one side, hey presto the bike could be easily removed.
Beware, Wanstead cyclists, and thank Wansteadium reader Michelle for spotting what had been going on. We’ve reported it to Redbridge, and anyone who knows about who might be responsible for the damage to the rack can get in contact with Crimestoppers anonymously here.
We’re sorry we’re late to this, but we love the Reverse Advent Calendar published by the Redbridge Foodbank. It’s a great way to give yourself a prompt to collect something to give to people who need it, and instead of waiting until December to feel a pang of social conscience, better to do it now so that there’s time for donations to be really useful.
There will be no fireworks this year on Wanstead Flats, after the traditional display was moved to a different part of Newham.
(Eton Manor’s display is taking place on Sunday evening, details below.)
Meanwhile, opponents of the plan to stage an unprecedentedly massive music festival on Wanstead Flats are marshalling their arguments ahead of a meeting of the Corporation of London committee which oversees the Flats.
The proposal has changed from its original scale – it would now be a three-day festival – and it’s been put off until September 2020. Details of the plan are not yet finalised, but it’s likely to be a high-profile music act with either a main stage or a series of smaller stages. The Corporation says there would be an “extended public consultation period”, and permission would in addition be needed from Redbridge which would be the licensing authority for the event.
Campaigners living near the Flats are concerned about the size and scale of the proposal, the effect on wildlife, especially birds, as well as noise, crowd control, crime and transport.
And it’s not clear either whether there would be any benefit to nearby residents or to Wanstead from the event. The Corporation of London would make significant money from the event, but it’s not clear what would actually happen to that money. Suggestions include investment in the flats, still recovering from this summer’s fires, or in Wanstead Park, which has waited years for renovation investment.
PCSOs Winston and Singh on duty last year at the Cherry Tree (Pic: @MPSRedbridge)
Wanstead’s two Police Community Support Officers, Alan Winston and Harjinder Singh are both leaving the Metropolitan Police. Alan, who covered Wanstead Park, and Harjinder, who covered Wanstead Village, had become familiar faces in Wanstead. Both are understood to be moving into jobs away from the police, and it is not clear what the Met’s approach to replacing them will be – we’ve asked and will let you know what we hear.
Gentlemen, good luck for the future and thank you for your service.
Welcome to the fine people of the St Francis Hospice who have opened their charity shop in the former Starbucks on Wanstead High Street. It’s an excellent organisation that, sadly, too many Wanstead families have reason to be grateful for, and we naturally wish them luck in their new fundraising venture.
So it seems a bit churlish to mention it, but we were told it was going to be a furniture charity shop, not just another second hand clothes & shoes shop, and that’s a bit disappointing…
