This year, the Festival runs from 15 to 25 July, a little later than normal in order to avoid clashing with the World Cup.
There’s a selection of high quality events, often showcasing local talent, and covering dance, drama, film, literature, music, and poetry.
You can view the full programme on the festival website…
With the glorious weather this weekend, large numbers of people flocked to Hollow Pond for an afternoon out. Now, I wasn’t one of them, but driving along Whipps Cross Road around 4pm on Sunday I did notice that there were 4, yes 4!!! traffic wardens dishing out parking tickets. While the cars parked along the road weren’t causing any noticable problem, I guess there may have been concerns about ambulances getting through to the hospital. Surely a bit of forethought, maybe putting out police “no parking” cones for example, would be better than sending the vultures out to circle and hit everyone with a fine?
John Cryer (Labour) – so no surprises there.
In the local elections, Labour pretty much swept the board in Leytonstone, with the Conservatives doing likewise in Snaresbrook and Wanstead.
Bit of strange constituency really Leyton and Wanstead, with such a big political contrast across it. The folks in Wanstead must be pretty frustrated – they return a full house of Conservative councillors every election but have no chance of ever voting in a Conservative MP … made more sense when it used to be Wanstead and Woodford really I guess.
In our recent poll, 60% of people who responded rating current Leyton and Wanstead MP Harry Cohen in the “Glad to see the back of him” category. So, time for a fresh face, and with the 2010 General Election looming, who are the main contenders to replace him?
Born in Yorkshire but moved to London when he was 18 and has spent most of his time since then in East London.
In 1997 he was elected as the Member of Parliament for Hornchurch.
He is on the left-wing of the Labour Party and is a member of the Socialist Campaign Group. He has worked for the left-wing “Tribune” and “Morning Star” publications, for Aslef and the Transport and General Workers Union (now Unite). He is a Eurosceptic.
As Member of Parliament for Hornchurch, he had a record as a rebel. He voted against tuition fees and top-up fees for higher education, against cuts in lone parent benefits (the first major rebellion under the Blair government) and against the Iraq war. He led the successful campaign to save the Ford Dagenham car plant.
For further info see www.leytonandwansteadlabour.org.uk.
Originally from Liverpool, Ed moved to London in 2001 to become a corporate lawyer after graduating from Oxford.
He moved to Leytonstone several years ago, and has been a Waltham Forest councillor for Larkswood Ward since 2009.
For further info see www.ednorthover.com.
A local resident for 35 years, Farooq is a Waltham Forest councillor for Forest Ward.
Farooq served as mayor for Waltham Forest from May 2006 to May 2007.
For further info see leyton-wansteadlibdems.org.uk.
Apparently a lease has been signed for Argos to take over the old Woolworths store in Leytonstone, with the refit beginning shortly. Good news indeed.
Went for a walk over the weekend, including crossing from Whipp’s Cross Road to Snaresbrook through Hollow Pond, with a push-chair. I know, I know, utter folly, stupid idea – parts of it were a quagmire, so a tractor would have been more appropriate.
Is it just me or would Hollow Pond benefit from some degree of formalisation though? At least some decent paths maybe. I know it’s relatively unspoilt (though the ponds are man-made I think) and it’s the last remnant of Epping Forest around here and I should have at least been wearing wellington boots etc. etc., but having a half decent park around here which parents with younger children (not to mention disabled people) could actually get around easily after its rained a bit would be nice.
Oh yeah, not that we drove there, but the car parks are a bit of a dogs breakfast too 
Interesting article regarding Olympic money handed to Waltham Forest Council for improvement to South Leytonstone. Strangely none targeted at the High Road though, which is certainly in desperate need of some attention. Maybe the council are hoping to get some separate funding for that? It’s pretty poor that we have to rely on Olympic money to actually do something about the state of some parts of Leytonstone. However, the council can’t be held solely to blame. If all landlords, home and shop owners took good care of their property, we wouldn’t have a problem.
After 27 years as MP for Leyton / Leyton and Wanstead, Harry Cohen will be stepping down in 2010 following the wide-ranging parliamentary expenses scandal. But has Harry done a good job for his constituents over the course of his career? Please vote in our current poll (see the sidebar).
Interesting Leytonstone Area Residents’ Association meeting last night on Crime and Safety, particularly given the news today regarding CCTV in Leytonstone town centre. Good turnout with ward Councillors Clyde Loakes and Marie Pye speaking along with representatives from the Safer Neighbourhoods and Neighbourhood Watch schemes.
A fairly wide range of topics were covered, but one in particular struck me as worth mentioning. In response to my question regarding the state of the High Road and its effect on crime in the area, Councillors Loaked and Pye mentioned the difficulties they have actually persuading property owners on the High Road to maintain their buildings. For example, the Independent Buildings in Church Lane have various bits of graffitti on them. The clock set in the buildings facade has also been broken for a long time. Apparently though the owners won’t allow the council to clean the graffitti or fix the clock, both offered free of charge. Quite what the reasons were for this I’m not sure, but it does seem a bit odd.
I’ve mentioned the “roof tree” problem on the High Road before, and the general run-down state of many buildings, but apparently the council are powerless to do anything about this either. There are no by-laws that can be enforced to make landlords keep their buildings in a presentable state. This seems ridiculous, those buildings will just remain as they are until they’re either sold, they fall down or by some miracle the owners decide to give them a lick of paint. With no investment money on the horizon, it seems the state of the High Road isn’t likely to improve any time soon. Maybe we should have a “Fix Leytonstone High Road Day”, we can all go armed with ladders, pots of paint and brushes to tart the place up!
One more thing – estate agents. Apparently, many of the “to let” signs around Leytonstone are just put up to attract business. Estate agents give landlords management fee discounts if they leave a sign up on their property. So the transient appearance of the High Street and many other areas of Leytonstone may not actually be a true reflection of the real situation. Unfortunately all of those signs give a bad impression. In recent years, schools have been brought into the equation as well – estate agents put up signs in peoples gardens advertising an event at a local school, but the boards look like their regular signs with just a tiny strip on the bottom actually mentioning the event. Bit cheeky really.
A reminder about the sterling work the guys at the Leytonstone Film Club are doing. Given that there isn’t a single cinema in the whole of Waltham Forest, the film club is a much needed resource in our area. They tend to show the type of films that aren’t readily accessible in mainstream cinemas too, such as high quality foreign films or critically acclaimed films which may have only been given a limited release.
Screenings are held on the first Wednesday of every month. All screenings take place at Leytonstone Library, Church Lane, E11 1HG (just off Leytonstone Tube Station).
The film club will only survive if local people support it, so if you can, please go along.
Upcoming screenings:
Directed by Tomas Alfredson. Duration 1hr 54 mins, Rated 15.
Let The Right One In
Oskar is a 12-year-old outcast who is frequently picked on by his classmates. He dreams of getting his revenge, but he never stands up to the boys. With the arrival of his new next door neighbour, 12-year-old Eli, Oskar may finally have found a friend, ally, and first love. But Eli is no ordinary girl: she must keep her pale skin out of the sunlight, she can perform many inhuman physical feats, and she has a thirst for blood.
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