The new playground is on its way…

Congratulations to the hard-working team behind the Wanstead Playground Association which has both placed the orders for new equipment AND been honoured by the Mayor of Redbridge for their good work.

The team were given the Award for Community Champions in a ceremony on Wednesday.

Having successfully raised £103,000, the orders have been placed with suppliers and the new playground should be available for actual play by the end of the May half-term holiday (weather permitting).

This is a plan of the new layout (click or tap for higher resolution), with individual items of apparatus below.

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Full plan for the playground. Click or touch for a higher resolution PDF of the plan.

SP5904 front
Kimber

CAR-SPI(001)
Wheelchair accessible roundabout

 

Tango Seat
The Tango seat

If anyone deserves the accolade of receiving the Wanstead is Made in Wanstead award, it’s these redoubtable campaigners. Ladies, and all who have supported you, you have helped make Wanstead.

wansteadismadeinwanstead

UPDATE: The Mayor of Redbridge, Councillor Barbara White, said: 

“The Wanstead Playground Association (WPA) was set up by local parents to refurbish the very tired playground equipment at the playground on Christ Church Green. In spite of funding cuts, this group has ploughed tirelessly on and has raised almost £50,000 to date through their hard work and community spirit in order to create a new playground for local children. The WPA are an example to us all and an asset to the residents in the east of the Borough; proof positive that community spirit is still very much alive in Redbridge and is working to make the Borough a better place for us all.”

“Our playground has desperately been in need of being updated for many years. Thanks to this amazing group of parents who will make this happen for our children and many more generations to come. I thinks it’s fantastic how much time they have all put in, as they also have young families and jobs. It’s great to see our community pull together and raise this amount of money.”

“They deserve this award for working so hard with the community to bring everyone together and make this a better, more inclusive place. On everyone’s behalf, making Wanstead an even more lovely place to visit, bringing more business to the local area and making it somewhere our children will be proud of!”

 

 

An amazing shot of old Wanstead (now with added blue plate)

A view of Wanstead from 1900. Wansteadium reader Jill Stock sent us this photo which was taken by her husband Michael’s great uncle Hezekiah Collins (got to love those Victorian names).

The picture shows the Swiss Cottage, which was in the garden of Lake House in Wanstead which was demolished in 1962 to build the Met. Police Cadet quarters. The elderly gentleman is Michael’s great grandfather, John William Collins and the little girl seated on the slope, is his granddaughter Emelia (Hezekiah’s daughter).

What a cracker. Could almost be painted in blue on a plate.

Update: We couldn’t resist. Here’s the blue plate version...

  
Anyone who has photos – especially old ones of Wanstead – to share, please email copies to info@wansteadium.com

 

 

 

Wanstead weekly photo

Three beauties this week, though all very different. First up is Susan Matthews, who says she took this picture to disprove a BBC weather forecast which claimed there was no fog in London on Sunday morning.

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Picture: Susan Matthews

Second is this from Instagram user “Lebaronfabs”, aka Fabien, who has got a great angle on a familiar sight.

Home sweet home #shrubbery #wanstead #springiscoming

A photo posted by fabien (@lebaronfabs) on

 

The third image is from Leslie Caswell, which is shift in tone. Thanks to everyone. You can submit your photos for next week’s selection by sending them to info@wansteadium.com.