Lots of events going on this weekend as Christmas comes nearer -here are some highlights. You can see full listings on the Wanstead Events Calendar – (and remember if there’s an event you want to get listed, please add the details on this page: Add events)
Wanstead’s first frost, 2022
Every autumn, we make a note the first frost of the season, and that was on Wednesday. Our tradition was always intended to be a small reassuring note of continuity, but our weirdly mild season means this first frost is the latest since records began (on this site, in 2010).
2022 – 6 December
2021 – 2 November
2020 – 4 November
2019 – 4 November
2018 – 25 September
2017 – 30 October
2016 – 2 November
2015 – 23 November
2014 – 6 November
2013 – 13 November
2012 – 6 November
2011 – 25 November
2010 – 21 October
A proper bit of street art
Street artist Socketman, whose work is documented here, has been at work at Green Man roundabout with this social commentary.
(H/T Pete Daly.)
The least religious roads in Wanstead are…
Halstead and Cowley Roads. The 2021 census data published by the ONS which measured people’s descriptions of their own religion is shown on this map, with the dark blue area being the highest response for ‘no religion’.
With even only a quick glance at the data, available here, it’s obvious that it’s hard to draw any meaningful conclusions about why there should be these differences in rates. That doesn’t stop it being interesting though.
New tools
Congratulations to High Street favourites Imran and Nas Asghar on the opening of their new venture, a grocer and butcher’s focusing on organic fruit and vegetables, organic/free range meat, and specialising in marinated options. The brothers moved their other shop, the Tool Box, 100m further up the high street and have employed Wajid, right, who has decades of experience as a butcher, to run the new shop, called Daniyal’s. Good luck to them all.
Wanstead pool ‘not ready until 2024’
It seems the Wanstead Swimming Pool completion has been put off until September 2024 – nearly two years later than the last expected date.
A story published in Construction News reveals that Redbridge has now awarded the £13.5m contract to Jerram Falkus Construction for the project which as well as the pool includes a three-story school building, dining hall and kitchen and new leisure centre facilities. The story says the pool should be opening in September 2024
The last update Wansteadium is aware of stated that the completion of the project would be the end of this year, which followed a delay caused by the disruption of Covid. We have contacted Redbridge for an update on the project.
Update: 30 Nov: A Redbridge Council spokesperson said:
“It was not possible to progress as planned during the COVID-19 pandemic, something that impacted many other capital projects across London.
“With the current rising costs of construction nationwide, we’ve had to reprocure to find the most cost-effective way of delivering the new facilities, which we expect to complete in 2024.”