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Visitors Loved Lee Valley Park

Love Park's Week Festival - 24th July to 1st August 2010 

Over 9,000 visitors took part in Lee Valley Regional Park's Love Parks Week Festival from Saturday 24th July to Sunday 1st August.

The Regional Park hosted 19 events, ranging from jazz concerts in historical gardens to Horseball (just like basketball but on horseback), athletics, outdoor theatre, family nature days, a birds of prey display and much more. Each event took place within the Park's 10,000 acres, winding 26 miles along the banks of the River Lee in Hertfordshire, down through Essex and North London to East India Dock Basin on the River Thames.

Commenting on the success of this year's Love Parks Week Festival, Events Manager Naomi Chant said "It's fantastic to see people out enjoying their local spaces and facilities. This year's festival has been our biggest yet with 19 varied events and activities and it's a great opportunity for us to showcase the many different types of great days out that people can enjoy in the Regional Park.  We hope that many will come back and enjoy the rest of the summer holidays with us".

The local highlights of the Love Parks Week Festival in Waltham Abbey and Enfield included:

Wild about Wetlands Day

Over 700 visitors took a trip to Waltham Abbey Gardens on Tuesday 27 July for some free family fun.

The annual family wildlife event was packed with families trying their hand at pond dipping, wildlife games and quizzes, drawing competitions, wildlife themed arts and crafts and mini beast safaris.

Lee Valley Regional Park mascots, LeeVs Woody and Blossom and Petunia the Pig were particularly popular with the children, along with face painting and clay modelling.

The Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust and local playgroup Sure Start also provided activities on the day.

Jazz in the Garden

Myddelton House Gardens were awash with sweet music on Sunday 1 August as BBC Jazz Singer of the Year, Anthony Strong and his band entertained 180 visitors in the stunning surroundings of Myddelton House Gardens in Enfield.

Throughout two 45 minute sets Anthony and his band played music from his latest CD as well as classics from Cole Porter and Sinatra while the audience relaxed, toe tapped and made the most of the warm summers evening with a picnic.

Don't miss the next evening of outdoor entertainment in Myddelton House Gardens, Strings in the Garden on Sunday 5th September 2010. The Bloomsbury String Quartet will perform a selection of popular classic works in the beautiful surroundings of Myddelton House Gardens. Why not bring a picnic, a rug and a bottle of wine! Close to London, the gardens offer a diverse plant collection, beautiful carp lake, conservatory, rock garden and a number of historical artefacts. The Gardens are also home to a National Collection of Dyke Medal winning Iris (the highest award that is given to Iris).

For more information and to book contact Lee Valley Information Service on 08456 770 600.

Ride the Park, Rivers and Olympic Venues

On Sunday 25 July, 51 keen cyclists from across the region joined Lee Valley Regional Park's North Ranger Chris Aspin and Countryside Assistant Justin Reed to enjoy an Olympic-themed cycle ride through the Regional Park.

The 35 mile route saw the group leave Pindar Car Park, Cheshunt and travel through River Lee Country Park to the Lee Valley White Water Centre and south, on the towpath past Tottenham Marshes and Three Mills, before reaching the Thames.

After stopping for lunch the group joined the new cycle super highway to Limehouse and then cycled onto Stratford to look at the progress on Olympic Park from the View Point on the Greenway before heading back through the Regional Park to the start point.

Rivers, Heritage and Lakes Ride

 

The last of Lee Valley Regional Park's summer guided cycle rides saw 39 riders join the Regional Park's North Ranger Chris Aspin and Countryside Assistant Justin Reed for a 25 mile ride.

Starting at Pindar Car Park, Cheshunt the route continued towards Stanstead Abbotts, through River Lee Country Park and took in the historic Rye House Gatehouse.

After stopping for lunch at Stanstead Riverside, the group then tackled the steep climb of Clayton Hill, Nazeing on their journey south, popping in for refreshments at Lee Valley Park Farms, Waltham Abbey. A final loop of River Lee Country Park took the riders past the Lee Valley White Water Centre before heading back.

Love Parks Week is an annual summer event which was held this year from 24th July to 1st August. 2010 week was the most successful ever, with an incredible half a million people taking part in a record-breaking 850 events across the UK . 

For more information on Love Parks Week please see their website: http://www.loveparksweek.org.uk/

Lee Valley Regional Park stretches 26 miles along the River Lee from Ware in Hertfordshire to East India Dock Basin on the Thames. The Park's 10,000 acres comprise a diverse mix of heritage sites, nature reserves and open green spaces alongside world class sports facilities, attracting over 4 million visitors every year.

Lee Valley Regional Park is playing an active part in the London 2012 Games. The Lee Valley White Water Centre (just north of the M25, near Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire) and the VeloPark and Hockey and Tennis Centres in Olympic Park will be owned, managed and funded by Lee Valley Regional Park in legacy. They join our existing sports facilities which include Lee Valley's Athletics Centre, Riding Centre and Ice Centre to create a chain of sporting excellence across the region.

For more information on their events this month see our article: Awesome August in Lee Valley Park or their website: http://www.leevalleypark.org.uk/

For more information on Lee Valley White Water Canoe Centre, please see our section dedicated to this new Olympic Facility: Olympic White Water Canoe

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