The strange saga of irregular name plates on benches, which in 2018 saw a tribute to Saddam Hussein being screwed to a bench on Wanstead High Street, has continued with more plates appearing on other benches in London.
Anyway here's the story. Mysterious memorial plaques in London park appear to Kim Jong-il, Gaddafi, Ceausescu, and Kropotkin. The one for Ceausescu reads: "Do ya think I'm sexy?", for Kim Jong-il it's "always preferred George Lazenby" https://t.co/uYNambeK3qpic.twitter.com/UA9GOq5exc
Redbridge’s overcrowding is one of the problems causing its spike in coronavirus cases, the leader of Redbridge Council has said, and a ban on people from different households mixing should be considered.
Redbridge had 58.6 new cases per 100,000 last week, making it the worst affected London borough. But the picture could be worse than that, Councillor Jas Athwal told BBC Radio Four’s Today programme on Monday, because it had lost 44% of its testing capacity due to issues at the national laboratory.
Cllr Athwal said he welcomed the introduction of fines for people who disregarded instructions to self-isolation following positive tests or who had been warned they had been exposed to people with the virus.
“We’ve all got to do our bit and the way to do our bit is to isolate and make sure we stop the spread from getting any worse,” he said.
Hear the full interview – Cllr Jas Athwal speaking to Mishal Hussein on BBC Radio Four. More details here.
PS. If you’re from the BBC and object to us embedding your audio, please get in touch with us here. (And also perhaps ask yourself why the BBC doesn’t make this kind of content available for embedding, because it really should, and actually used to.)
For the first time in 150 years, cows are roaming freely in Wanstead Park as part of a two-month experiment to see if their presence can help improve the grassland.
The animals are wearing GPS trackers which emit a warning sign to the cows when they get near boundaries, avoiding the need for electric fences.
Volunteers are among those who will be keeping an eye on the animals to make sure everything goes smoothly with the trial (including dissuading people from approaching or feeding them).
Graeme Doshi-Smith, Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s Epping Forest & Commons Committee, said: “Our grazing pilot is helping us identify better ways to protect Wanstead Park’s historic views at the same time as conserving a wide range of species and supporting an even better ecological balance at the site.
“Grazing is used as a natural way to manage grasslands and meadows across Epping Forest. As part of the programme we have prevented encroachment by scrub and more vigorous grasses in favour or rarer plants and herbs, benefitting a whole range of insects and birds.
“It is exciting to be grazing heritage cattle here in this East London park, right on the edge of our capital city.”
Londoners will be in for a surprise when they see cows roaming in Wanstead Park today, for the first time in 150-years. We've put carefully selected cattle from our 200-strong herd at Epping Forest out to graze as part of a 2 month trial https://t.co/ii0fBJ4r8W@CoLEppingForestpic.twitter.com/0ztFzBhrr6
Three English Longhorn cows that are grazing freely in Wanstead Park #EpppingForest Nina, Nuru and Quinine. This is 7 year old Nina. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/nqzYWR0aBM
This is 7 year old Nuru, one of her horns was lost in an accident at her previous home, before she joined the #EppingForest herd. 2/3 pic.twitter.com/iPCYpG46I3
Police are seeking witnesses with information about at least two sexual assaults on Thursday afternoon in Roding Valley Park in Wanstead. Full details in this tweet:
Witness Appeal – pls R/T. Detective Insp. Iqbal urges anyone with any information to come forward pls @MetCC DM. Police patrols by local neighbourhood team & violent suppression unit operating in area. @RedbridgeLive@VictimSupportpic.twitter.com/2Gh5VCzWzG
The main Wanstead Fringe Jumble Trail of course won’t be taking place this year – it’s fallen foul of the same Covid problems as the rest of the Fringe. But we’re very happy to let you know that there is a mini-Jumble Trail taking place in a handful of roads on Saturday – details are in the poster.
Things are pretty hard all round at the moment, but Wanstead is showing definite signs of promise in spite of everything.
There are at least three new ventures coming to the High Street which might help make up for those which have fallen victim to the hard times – including Percy Ingle and Time For Tea which last month announced it too was closing.
Even in shops and cafes which survive, many well-known and longstanding staff have departed. On behalf of Wanstead, we thank them for their service.
Most visible of the new entrants is the wine and cheese bar Degustation which is taking shape in its premises near to Bare Brew. Renovations are going on inside the shop, and there is an application notice in the window for a pavement licence for seating. Enthusiasm levels are sky high for this venture.
Also coming are, we are told, is a shop for pre-loved bridal wear shop in the former salon/petrol station/stables behind the Cuckfield. And what looks like an electrical shop in the former Rio shoe shop.
Things are also taking shape with the new building on the site of the old Joliffe builders’ office.
Good luck – and bravo – to all these entrepreneurs.
Footnote. Wansteadium happened to notice that in the spot above smart dress shop Le Voyage, where there was once the “Male Grooming Centre” – and before that the “Wanstead Sauna” – there is now an empty venue. Apparently it has been empty for a couple of years now but the signage has now all been removed, ready for conversion to office space.
