Blogs - Newsroom and Reader Blogs for Epping Forest, Waltham Forest, Wanstaed & Woodford

Flash Bristow is a self-employed web designer living in the Leytonstone
area for over 10 years. She is interested in music, electricity pylons
and human rights.

A good year for Leytonstone

2011 has been a tough year for many people as the recession bit, but in Leytonstone there were some signs of hope and a couple of fantastic additions to the area.

Power cuts bring the community together

My part of Leytonstone has been subject to power cuts recently. The first happened at dusk, as people were drawing curtains and putting on room lights. Suddenly, we were opening the curtains again.

Waltham Forest - sending our families to live in Luton

Next year changes to housing benefit will come into force capping the maximum amount that can be paid, meaning that many households have to find a way to fund the rest of their rent.

Does Wanstead Flats really need saving?

There is currently a lot of controversy about the Metropolitan Police’s proposal to use part of Wanstead Flats for a briefing centre during the 2012 Olympics. I quite understand that the land should not be damaged, nor permanently built upon, but is the uproar for this one-off event really necessary?

Absent friends

You don’t know who you will miss until they are gone. In my case, it’s the street cleaner. She’s gone on holiday, and although I miss her friendly chats, I’m also bothered by the rapidly mounting piles of dog mess in my road.

Disability’s on the agenda in Waltham Forest

Over the last few weeks the needs of older and disabled people has really moved up the agenda in Waltham Forest with several campaigns taking off.

Faith Hope and Charity

With Easter just past and spring setting in, I have been looking for signs of optimism on the High Street – and been left wanting.

Argos Envy?

After a year of waiting the vacant Leytonstone Woolworths has a new tenant. It’s Argos. And would you believe many of my friends are jealous?

What do you foresee for Waltham Forest in 2026?

The council have released their Preferred Options Core Strategy, a public consultation which runs until 19 February.

Fancy some art and architecture?

For the next two weekends, there are plenty of free events and activities in Waltham Forest.

What happened to our tree wardens?

I was sad to read that Waltham Forest is felling trees instead of maintaining them.

Confined by Swine Flu

On Saturday evening I was at a party celebrating the Arts Trail – on Sunday morning I woke up with a raging sore throat, aching allO over. I was immediately concerned that I had swine flu.

A cultural smorgasbord in Leytonstone...yours, for the next week!

Last week, Leytonstone Arts Trail kicked off. This week it’s been joined by its older brother Leytonstone Festival as well, bringing all manner of things noisy, pretty, contemplative and fascinating to our patch of Waltham Forest.

Clyde's legacy

Clyde Loakes is shortly to stand down as Leader of the Council. Many comments on stories in this website wish him good riddance. So in a potentially controversial act, I'd like to consider Clyde's legacy.

Farewell at last, Lincolns!

At last it’s over. The chaotic den opposite my house – Lincolns Public House – is finished. After four years of licence hearings, many hours of lost sleep, one near-fatal stabbing and who knows how many people urinating in the street, the local residents can finally look forward to a peaceful summer. However, this has been very hard-earned by the entire community.

If we’re going to tackle “Enviro-Crime”, let’s be positive about it!

“We’re wiping out enviro-crime.” This is the bold statement declared on banners across Waltham Forest, accompanied by an anonymous hand wiping out graffiti. "Fly-tipping, littering, graffiti and dog fouling are ruining our borough". In other words, “This borough is being ruined”.

Planning for summer already? It can only be the Leytonstone Festival!

It may be cold outside, but tucked up in a warm corner of the Epicentre, an enthusiastic group meets to plan this year’s Leytonstone Festival.

"If I can't figure it out, what's a tourist meant to do?

Whacky routes. That's what you get from Transport for London (TfL)'s journey planner, as I found out recently when on a trip with Radio 4's Peter White.

Leytonstone's wonderful art space

There's a wonderful art space in Waltham Forest. If you're in Leytonstone, it's staring you in the face. I bet you didn't even know it exists!

I've destroyed a work of art!

That title sounds dramatic, until you realise it was graffiti - by that upstart young Cartrain, no less. You see, a group of neighbours from Ferndale Area Residents Association are dedicated to keeping "our patch" clean. We hold regular litter picks, and paint over or wipe out graffiti. And last time out, I erased some of Cartrain's work. A sprayed "bomb" with George Bush's head in it was among the unsightly decor on a wall near to Leytonstone High Road overground station - and we painted over everything that was there.