The best and worst of Leytonstone (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

The best and worst of Leytonstone

2:10pm Wednesday 11th June 2008 in

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What do you love about Leytonstone? What do you hate? Now's your chance to show everyone, as part of Leytonstone Festival.

But first, here's what I find good and bad in the area. For me, the positives far outweigh the rest, which is why I am so passionate about the place.

I love...

...being just 30 minutes from the West End, with good transport links. I know people complain about public transport but having lived in the West Country I can tell you how lucky we are here, with affordable buses, a good tube network and reasonably reliable trains.

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...all the green space, not just in Leytonstone but throughout Waltham Forest. At the end of my road is Wanstead Flats (pictured), a beautiful common which is not contained by railings or closed at night. It's a wonderful place to walk my dog or just to get some headspace.

...Whipps Cross Hospital. I know this will be a contraversial choice for some, but it's given me nothing but good service. I am lucky that one of the few national specialists that understand my particular disability happens to work at Whipps Cross. The hospital is crucial for Waltham Forest.

...the sense of community and the way that people are neighbourly. I can't leave my house without running into people who I know and who will wave or stop to chat. There is a fantastic spirit of people looking out for each other.

With the green space and friendly community feel, yet being just a short commute from central London, it seems to me that we have the best of all worlds here.

Of course, there are some down-sides. For me, these are the closed shops which are left to rot (pictured), or taken over only to shut down again. The areas near Leytonstone tube seem to be doing well, but we need to support businesses a little further away, as part of the area's gradual regeneration. /_images/misc/dislikes.jpg

Also, litter in the street, and the noise and anti-social behaviour from our local pub drives me insane - I wish that everyone could be a little more considerate of the area where they happen to eat and drink.

So now it's over to you! What do you see as the best and worst of Leytonstone?

You have the chance to tell everyone in a photo competition being run right now - take a snap of your likes and dislikes, and they will be exhibited as part of Leytonstone Festival, with prizes awarded to both adults and children. Come along to the exhibition and you can vote for a "people's choice" prize too.

There's more information about how to enter at
http://www.fara-leytonstone.org.uk/photo-competition/

The closing date for photos is 30 June, and the exhibition is at Davies Lane School on Saturday 12 July. Get involved!

Whatever you think of your local area, why not support it?