March 2022

28
Wanstead Village Directory
Silver society
The Wanstead Society will celebrate its silver jubilee by planting a new
tree on the High Street this month in a nod to the community group’s
first project in the late nineties. Scott Wilding reports
Back in 1997, an average pint would
cost you £1.10, a litre of petrol was
around 70p and I was still at Wanstead
High School completing my A levels. But
this was also the year that the Wanstead
Society was born, and so in 2022, we
turn 25.
To celebrate our silver jubilee, we are planting
a tree outside Gail’s Bakery this month, which
we hope will live at least another 25 years.
We’d like to thank Redbridge Council, who
helped with the logistics, and for allowing us
to celebrate our anniversary in this way.
We felt a tree was the right way to celebrate
rather than a formal celebration. Urban trees
provide heat shade, soak up excess water
and give food and shelter to local wildlife.
One tree on its own, of course, makes only a
small difference. But in the 25 years we have
been active, we have planted over 40 trees
right across Wanstead, including the ones
that stretch from Snaresbrook Station to the
junction of Hollybush Hill. These were installed
in the late 1990s and are still going strong;
it was one of our first projects, but far from
the last.
In over a quarter of a century, we have planted
bulbs on Christ Church Green, funded the
Wanstead Community Gardeners and helped
pay for numerous community projects. From
part-funding bins to fundraising for the
refurbishment of the children’s playground
on the green, we have always aimed to put
something back.
Our next 25 years will see more challenges,
but none more so than the environment. It’s
essential that we do what we can to support
local, native wildlife and plant vegetation if
The silver birches near
Snaresbrook Station
were planted in the 1990s
we want to tackle the climate emergency.
This is likely to be the one really big challenge
we all need to contribute to. In July last year,
flash flooding caused by severe heavy rain
resulted in huge damage to local homes and
businesses. With extreme weather events
becoming more frequent, it’s clear climate
change is right on our doorstep, and in some
cases, flooding over it and into our homes.
Our projects would never be possible without
the help and support of Wanstead residents.
As a volunteer organisation, we rely on our
members giving their time for free. And it’s our
members who, through generous donations
and selflessly giving up their time, have made
Wanstead just that little bit better.
So, we hope that over the next 25 years, we
can continue making Wanstead even better
still, and with your help, we will.
For more information on the Wanstead
Society, visit wansteadsociety.org.uk or
write to: Wanstead Society, c/o Wanstead
House, 21 The Green, Wanstead, E11 2NT.
To advertise, call 020 8819 6645 or visit wnstd.com