Tag: london2012

Wanstead news roundup, 1.02.11; Stump, Hacking and Overheard in Wanstead

• It’s not looking good for Wanstead’s best-known heirloom, the chestnut tree-stump which until last September sat with a certain grace on George Green. It became clear that the grace was actually wood rot, and the Corporation of London removed it for renovation. It seems, though, that it might be beyond repair – the corporation is asking anyone who knows anything about restoring to get in touch. (People once sang to this tree..)

• Interviews for volunteers for London 2012 begin on Tuesday morning.

• Wanstead High Street update: Just weeks after Wanstead Beauty Clinic celebrated its 25th anniversary, two new beauticians are opening – one in the former Horsfall and Wright shop, and one in the rather magnificently redeveloped Cuckfield Garage. A positive sign, perhaps, but not exactly ideal for the diversity of the high street.

• Mark Stephens, Wanstead’s most celebrated lawyer (and Julian Assange’s brief) is waiting to find out if he is one of the people whose voicemail was hacked by the News of the World. He says he “certain that many of my clients have, and indeed some of them have been in to ask what they can do about it”.

• Overheard in Wanstead: Friday morning, inside Santander branch on Wanstead High Street: woman says thank you to cash dispenser.

Olympic volunteers start here

Wednesday morning is expected to mark the start of Olympic volunteering season, as the website which allows people to put their names forward is officially launched. It will remain open until 27 October, and there are as many as 70,000 places available. The site will be available here – but there does not appear to be much point in rushing to get your name down: it’s not first come first served.

Renting out Wanstead houses during the Olympics

[picappgallerysingle id=”8868090″] First mover advantage, maybe, but at least one Wanstead property is already being advertised for rent during the Olympic Games – just over two years away. And perhaps the most amazing part is the proposed rent – 2,000 euros a week for two-bedrooms, near Wanstead Park.

Other people will probably try to do the same, and there seems to be a flourishing market in websites trying to attract prospective letters and renters. And making the case for renting in Wanstead is not hard to do, as the advert in question demonstrates:

It is a couple of minutes walk from bus services and a short journey from Wanstead underground station which is on the central line with trains into central London taking around 20 mins. Manor Park overhead station is about a 10 minute walk away, with trains going directly to Straford where a link to the olympic sight [sic] can be picked up. Alternatively, we are around an 8 minute drive from the Olympic stadium.

How to sign up for Olympics tickets

[picappgallerysingle id=”8649313″]If the Evening Standard is to be believed, more than a million people have “signed up” for Olympics tickets. The fear that they might miss out might cause consternation to Wanstead folk every time they drive past the Olympic site if they haven’t yet “signed up”. So how can you do it?

The short answer is, despite the Standard headline, you can’t – yet – so there’s no need to be stressed. And there’s certainly no need at this stage to part with any money.

What you *can* do (and what the paper appears to be referring to) is to sign up to a mailing list operated by London 2012 which will send details of any particular events you are interested in. You can do that here. Signing up won’t, however, give you any preferential claim to tickets. Three-quarters of the 10million Olympic and Paralympic tickets will be allocated by public ballot. Registration for this will be by the website some time next year.