Wansteadium

More than 50 bags of rubbish were collected from Eagle Pond by volunteers. The haul included plastic, polystyrene cups, fishing line, shoes, clothes, and an antique clay pipe and bottle. Also, bizarrely, coconuts.

A huge fire at the Chigwell Road recycling centre needed 60 firefighters and eight fire engines to be brought under control. Nobody was injured, but nearby residents were told to close their windows to keep safe from the smoke.

London Fire Brigade station commander Dave Reed, who was at the scene, said: “Around 28 tons of household waste was alight in a covered recycling shed. There was quite a lot of smoke in the area so we advised local residents to keep their doors and windows closed.”

The Wanstead Festival defied the weather forecast and its rescheduling by having a great turnout under sunny skies.

Thousands of people came along to make the most of the event on Christchurch Green, bolstered by the Farmers’ Market and closed High Street.

The Wanstead Festival is taking place on Sunday, 2 October, in what could be a bumper Sunday as it coincides with the High Street being closed AND the farmers’ market.

The forecast is not looking good and the possibility of it raining on the parade is looking real. Still, fingers crossed for a great day all round.

A new inhabitant on Wanstead High Street – we assume as part of the preparations for the Wanstead Festival on Sunday, but who knows, stranger things have happened. It looks well attached to the road…

Update: here’s our answer .

The 2022 Wanstead Fringe concluded on Sunday after its most ambitious programme of events ever – and despite the unforeseen national event which overshadowed its start and its middle, it managed to exceed expectations.

Organisers are inviting feedback on this year’s Fringe (send it to info@wansteadfringe.org) in the hope of making next year’s tenth anniversary Fringe even bigger and better.

Giles Wilson, chair of Wanstead Fringe Association, said: “We really enjoyed putting this year’s Fringe together – to see music, comedy, drama, authors and more taking place in Wanstead is what the Fringe is all about.

“We couldn’t have done it without the support and backing of people who bought tickets, volunteered to help, organised events and spread the word on social media, and of course especially our sponsors who, once again, enabled us to stage the Fringe without a penny of public money.”

The Fringe sponsors were Petty Son & Prestwich, Edwards Duthie Shamash, THP Chartered Accountants, the Wanstead Society, Eton Manor RFC and The Duke.

Fringe organisers know, though, that lots of supporters are keen to help it grow – and so they have set up a Patreon account where people can pledge a monthly donation of £1, £2, or £4 to Fringe funds. The association is a not-for-profit organisation, and any surplus goes into funding future operations.

Here is this year’s final crop of photos.