Wansteadium

This was a blast from the past (2005?), but was a mere palimpsest revealed during Robins’ renovations and extension:

And on the other side of the road, good luck to the former Bennett’s, now reimagined as Moments and successfully filling the gap left by former card/gift shop Nicole’s.

(One sharp-eyed Wansteadium reader couldn’t help noticing that the sign does, however, look suspiciously as if it may have the potential to be internally illuminated… which as regular readers will know is a no-no for shopfronts following planning regulations on Wanstead High Street.)

Bye bye Wanstead christmas tree..@Wansteadium @lovewanstead pic.twitter.com/DP82pOZPlt

— Julia Orr (@OrrRubyredjulia) January 7, 2018

One of the landmark horse chestnuts on St Mary’s Avenue which was blown down in the recent strong winds looks as if it was diseased, according to Wanstead weatherman and tree expert Scott Whitehead.

Scott tweeted:

Signs of fungal rot in the lovely old horse chestnut on St Mary's Avenue. that came down in tbe storm this week. The damage could have been far greater. pic.twitter.com/sTr1UtWHqw

— Wanstead weather (@wanstead_meteo) January 5, 2018

 

In 2011, 11 chestnuts on the road were cut down after disease was found in them. Replacement saplings were later planted. Horse chestnuts, which are treasured by many locals, are suffering from a variety of diseases across the country.

Bravo to Redbridge which has reinstated the kerbside Christmas tree collection as part of its U-turn on garden waste.

Householders should leave their trees at the edge of their boundary from Monday 8 January, and trees will be collected at some point by Friday next week.

The council says it has also requested trees which are left “in a visible spot” outside flats should also be collected but says it cannot guarantee this. Anyone who can take their tree to the recycling centre is requested to do so.

Bravo to Wanstead’s Eddie Nestor, host of the BBC Radio London drivetime show, who was made an MBE in the New Year’s honours for services to radio and charity. As well as broadcasting, he is a prolific fundraiser, having raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity, particularly after he was diagnosed with cancer.

He told the Ilford Recorder that he wasn’t sure what an MBE would allow him to do, adding: “Is it like being a doctor at a restaurant and getting a table?”

The long-anticipated renovations at Nice (or Nice) Croissant have started  in earnest with a new shop front. New ovens have also been installed, meaning that fresh bread and cakes will continue to be baked in Wanstead every morning. Good luck to Fabien and Franck as they undergo their modernisation.