July 2020

34
Wanstead Village Directory
No one can fail to have noticed
something happening on the traffic
island between The George pub and
Wanstead Station. The strings of bunting
make it look a bit like a village fete. Hardly
likely! This is the final stage of a project
Wanstead Community Gardeners have had
in mind for some time.
bed, a much larger area. We wanted to create
a flower meadow there but conditions are
tough. No possibility of watering and long dry
spells. Time was ticking on for seed sowing.
Finally, we managed the weed eradication
programme and the necessary lapse of time,
but we had some serious work to do before
seeds could be sown.
Three years ago, we took over the wider
empty part of this patch with the idea of
planting wild flowers there. We had a degree
of success, but problems with couch grass and
ivy threatened to overwhelm the area. Also,
the concrete-like soil didn’t help. Last year, our
councillors advised us to apply for a council
grant for help with this difficult patch. We
were successful but there were complications.
The real game changer came when the
council cut down the shrubs which filled the
long neck of the traffic island down to
the traffic lights as they had become
a drivers’ sight line issue.
Suddenly, we realised we
could use the whole
With the coronavirus, the traffic on the dual
carriageway was minimised and there were
lots of people with time on their hands.
People gave what time they had.
Keeping a cow distance apart,
they dug out the shrub
roots and removed
decades
worth of
rubbish
trapped
Watch this Space
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In the first of two articles, Marian Temple of
the Wanstead Community Gardeners keeps a
watchful eye on a special space. Photos by Geoff Wilkinson
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