Wanstead’s first crowdfunded Christmas tree has arrived and is now in place. The traditional switching-on ceremony will be at 4pm on 29 November. (Photo: Katie.)
20 thoughts on “Tree arrives”
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Won’t be long before LBR send in the land rental bill and a rep from the H&S dept and environmental team to ascertain risk levels and plans for disposal of the tree.
Just a thought but couldn’t we in Wanstead just buy a living tree and plant it so we’d have a tree each year and also a symbol of the local community’s commitment to maintaining an ecological safe environment? Id def contribute to a permanent tree
So true about LBR Can the money over be kept for next years tree
I remember one year when it got chopped down!
Tree chopped down circa 1976. There then followed a raucous version of ‘ I’m a lumberjack’ in the George afterwards. Part of Wanstead folklore now.
We are currently discussing with the City of London Corporation (who own the land) if we can plant a real tree there however they have previously denied the same request made 6 years ago.
All contributors can suggest and vote on how the excess money is used – please post your suggestions via the Crowdfunding website and suggestions will be voted on in January.
I should also note that the correct start time for the switch on is 4:30pm on November 29th. We’ll be joined by a number of school choirs, the choir of St. Mary with Christ Church, the Riverside Brass Quintet and a very special guest! Hope to see you there!
Tunnel underneath.
I think that possibly the size/depth of the roots that a decent sized tree like this would require to live/grow – would mean that the roots could start undermining the fountain and surrounding tiled/paved areas and maybe the road and other parts of that area too and so on, which is probably why its not allowed. I know its a lot of money, but in some ways getting this tree set up here just once a year, does make it a bit special!
To all the wonderful people who gave their money and time to achieve this: “THANK YOU” (especially from my children!)
I’m ashamed to say I contributed
nothing, due mainly to my total lack of organisation and phenomenal level of inertia (yes, I’m just bloody lazy).
Well done everyone inc local businesses who helped. Extra money should go on hooks on lampposts and buildings in the High St so that we can have bunting for events like the Jubilee etc.
A lot of hard work has gone into obtaining the funding for the tree (and yes I did contribute!) so hope everyone will come along to make the switch on a very special occasion.
I didn’t contribute because of the abusive doggerel on the funding site. Petty party politicking when the council were going to fund the tree anyway.
If this really is the case then can someone kindly arrange my refund?
Can we all get our facts right here. Redbridge Council had indeed cut the funding for the tree and I hope Tiny Tim will join us for the switch on.
Of course I will, after all Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without tiny tim.
Sure the area committe budget was cut, but did Councillor Cronin raise the tree as an issue before going off on a crowd funding ? Did the council then offer to pay for the tree out of another budget? Cheap point scoring. Of more interest is the previous Tory councils failure to plan for the budget cuts imposed by the coalition govt
The photo shows the rather sad and bare new flower beds round the fountain. I assume City of London Corporation are responsible for the planting or lack of it. Would be great to see something similar to the lovely planting round Valentine’s mansion.
I’d forgotten how awful the paving and planters were around that lovely old structure.
Some very disappointed kids and tree still unlit.
It seems the boys and girls of Wanstead have all made the naughty list this year. They’ll have to be extra nice to their families before Christmas if the lights are to guide my sleigh on Christmas Eve.