Tesco shunting

Incident on the High Street on Saturday morning. Quick response from Tesco on Twitter though…

Lights on without a hitch? What went wrong?

A festive but uneventful lighting-up this year.

Oh Wanstead Christmas tree, what’s happened to your power to engage and surprise? No row over funding? No anti-climactic fuse box blow? Not even any (or at least not many) disparaging “it looks like a badger” comments??

You’ve changed.

 

UPDATE: This too needs to be said:

Crikey. Here are some dates for Christmas events

Before you know it, it’ll be New Year’s Eve and the preceding Christmas season will be a hazy memory. So while there’s chance here are some dates of forthcoming festive events.

IMG_6853* The traditional Christmas tree light-up will take place this Friday, 27 November, at 4.30pm on George Green. The Salvation Army will be there to make it properly festive. (But slapped wrist to @skyellis666 for this tweet… tut tut. Nice composition, though.)

* School Christmas bazaars this weekend…

  • On Saturday 28 November, Wanstead Church School from 11.30am until 2pm (more details here)
  • On the same date, Our Lady of Lourdes Primary school from noon

* Still on Saturday 28 November, The Duke Christmas Street Party will start at 2pm, with food, live music and stalls. Plus an Apres Ski themed outside bar. Also a sleigh photo booth. Click/tap this image for more details. DukeXMASweb

* On 5 December there will be another Wanstead Makers’ Market at which local crafty folk will be selling their creations, almost as if knowing that people might be in need of presents to buy. It’s from 10am until 4pm and there are more details here, very stylishly illustrated.

* Advance notice of a Santa’s Grotto which will be visiting the Nightingale pub on 12 December from noon until 4pm. It costs £10 per child and entry is by timed ticket – which you can get here. It’s all in aid of the Wanstead Playground Association… which is, in a separate development, hoping people who go to Starbucks will back it in their Red Cup Challenge and help it raise a further chunk of money. More details about that here.

* Wanstead Shops and restaurants are again running a loyalty card this Christmas, with anyone who gets 10 stamps on their card being eligible to enter a draw. More details to come.

* There are also disturbing noises about Wanstead people being encouraged to wear Christmas jumpers on the High Street on 18 December.

Wanstead weekly photo

Geoff Wilkinson writes on Wanstead Daily Photo: “This lovely Morris Minor 1000 pulled up outside the Gallery a couple of weekends ago. I couldn’t resist taking a few shots, it was immaculate, obviously the owner’s pride and joy. Designed by Alec Issigonis, around 1950 for this four door version, I believe he went on to design the world famous Mini which is still going strong in its current form. For a few hours it graced Nightingale Lane whisking us back in time for a while…

John Hayes

John EppingWansteadium is sad to report the death of local businessman John Hayes, aged 55. He died on 8 November after battling cancer for 15-months.

Educated in Wanstead, for the past 10 years John co-owned the Schools Marketing Company, based on Wanstead High Street. His sister Veronica Over says: “He probably ate in more Wanstead Restaurants and shopped in more Wanstead shops than most people have done in their lifetime! Many will know him from his frequent – and always happy –  visits to Provender, Robins Pie & Mash, Gioberti, Ottos, Loon Yee, The Cuckfield and The Duke, and shopping in Londis and Dennis Butchers et al!  He loved chatting about food, wine and sport (he was a lifelong Spurs fan and an excellent cricketer himself) and he loved people – always seeing the best in them.”

John’s funeral will be on Friday 27 November at 11am at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, 51 Cambridge Park, London E11 2PR. The committal is taking place at: City of London Cemetery at 1.00 pm, Aldersbrook Road, Manor Park, London E12 5DQ.