Wansteadium

Probably not wishing to add to the Co-op’s woes, Wanstead journalist Sean Farrell, who works for the Guardian, has nevertheless felt compelled to tackle the Wanstead Co-op’s broken fridge doors. He now appears to have had some success.

@Wansteadium Co-op head office promises to fix doors hanging open in Wanstead branch after my intervention. See my recent tweets for details

— Sean Farrell (@farrell_s) November 19, 2013

Me 25 Apr:@TheCooperative can't get fridge doors to close at Wanstead branch so how could it have integrated and run 600+ #Lloyds branches?

— Sean Farrell (@farrell_s) November 18, 2013

That didn’t work, so he copied in the bank’s chief executive Euan Sutherland.

Me 25 Apr:@TheCooperative can't get fridge doors closed at Wanstead branch so how could it have integrated #Lloyds branches?@euansutherland

— Sean Farrell (@farrell_s) November 18, 2013

Hey presto.

@farrell_s Thanks for letting us know about the fridge doors. We will pass this to the right people to get fixed. Steve

— The Co-operativeFood (@CooperativeFood) November 19, 2013

The Duke of Edinburgh pub on Nightingale Lane, subject of much speculation since it suddenly closed a few weeks ago, has been quietly reborn. An opening night on Thursday saw it become The Duke, serving trendy beers, hosting junk shop chic, and suddenly becoming one of the most Instagrammable venues in Wanstead.

It also tweets.

Hey @wansteadium – 'The Duke' opens tonight! Please pop down for a Craft Ale, the fire is on. pic.twitter.com/nyVDglRueA

— thedukewanstead (@thedukewanstead) November 21, 2013

BAD NEWS! It’s only going to be 12-metres long.

GOOD NEWS! Never mind, there are loads of people in Wanstead on a waiting list to learn to swim.

BAD NEWS! The pool is temporary – 12 weeks only.

GOOD NEWS! The council is hoping it can wangle it for longer.

BAD NEWS! It’s still going to cost council tax payers £30k, even though it’s being subsidised by the GLA.

This development does seem somewhat unusual, to say the least. In addition to the Wanstead Pool, there will be another pool – 25m-long plus library and gym – built in the south of the borough (Ilford?).

The leader of Redbridge Council, Keith Prince, said: ““This is fantastic news for the Borough… We have over 1000 people on our lists waiting to learn to swim and this pool in Wanstead is a facility that will help those residents learn an essential life skill. We are negotiating with the provider of the 12-metre pool to try and extend the time it will be in the Borough so that more people can benefit.”

@Wansteadium I cant believe we are paying £30k for just 12 weeks of a 12 metre pool!! WTF are @RedbridgeLive playing at?

— Anya Lipska (@AnyaLipska) November 21, 2013

@DaisyRussell2 @Wansteadium maybe it's a 12k rebranding exercise from eagle pong to snaresbrook lido

— Tom King (@zgap118) November 21, 2013

@Wansteadium Will we have to inflate it every time we fancy a swim?

— Daisy Russell (@DaisyRussell2) November 20, 2013

• Councillors have admitted they are unable to do anything about the black plastic sheeting which is attached to the fence around the Evergreen Field. But at Monday’s Area 1 committee (which went unreported by our local newspapers – only one local blog covered the event), Cllr Chris Cummins told residents he would be asking council officers to insist the land is tidied up. He also said that claims that contaminated oil had been dumped on the land would be investigated.

• The inquest into the death of Wanstead actor Paul Bhattarcharjee, which was held on Friday and which recorded a verdict of suicide, is reported here.

• There will be a foodie fundraising event for the Philippines just after Christmas at the Christ Church Hall. Details will follow.

• Times restaurant critic Giles Coren published his list of 50 restaurants at which he would happily spend his own money. The Tiffin Tin in West Hampstead came in at 16th, and so was a great boon for Wanstead’s branch. If only there was a modern, large restaurant near the takeaway which was vacant and into which it could expand. If only.

• The Wanstead Magazine Club, which was restocked last weekend with a lush collection of National Geographics, Monocles, Which and others, was nearly completely cleared out by grateful readers. More stocks arrived at the Larder on Saturday, and the service is to be extended to Angel’s Hair and Nails which has moved into Judith’s former annexe. Anyone wishing to join this philanthropic rehoming of unloved but excellent magazines, please get in touch.

Geoff Wilkinson writes on Wanstead Daily Photo: “I passed Robins Pie and Mash shop in the High Street on my walk. Although relatively new to Wanstead the family has been serving up pie and mash for five generations in East London and Essex. Anyway I like the awning at the side of the shop and on this day the warmth of the light in the shop shining through the window of the awning looked very welcoming. I have to tell you that those empty tables in the picture were soon filled as people escaped the rain to tuck into this traditional East End dish.”

Normally reliable sources tell Wansteadium that Gioberti’s will reopen on Tuesday, renamed as Piccolo, and will remain as an Italian restaurant though run by a South American chef.