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Lee Valley Regional Park is often the setting for TV dramas and entertainment shows, commercials, music videos, charity events, photo shoots and even blockbuster movie scenes! Still from Elmiene's music video for 'Open Light'   In 2024, 88 filming days took place in the Park – giving our open spaces and venues dozens of starring roles. Lila Moss for Burberry at Middlesex Filter Beds From fashion shoots for Burberry at Middlesex Filter Beds in Leyton to up and coming Universal Music’s artist Elmiene’s new music video shot on a misty dawn on Tottenham Marshes – the Park’s rich tapestry of settings offer a wide variety of backdrops and locations for the region’s growing production industry. Much of what was filmed in 2024 will hit screens this year so your favourite part of the park may be about to play a leading role in a new or much-loved drama, comedy, game show or Hollywood film. Did anyone spot Lee Valley Ice Centre featured in the opening episode of ITV1’s Dancing On Ice earlier this month?   No spoilers but next time you’re walking in the park, and something seems familiar but you’re not sure why…you may have seen it on the big or small screen or in a magazine!

It might be hard to see the return of spring with the dull cloud cover we've had recently but small signs have begun to peek through such as daffodils poking through the ground and the sound of songbirds calling in the distance - before you know it February half term will be here! Have a read of some of the great things you can do to get outside and active during the school break – be ready for spring when it makes its full appearance. Get closer to nature The Wildlife Discovery Centre at Fishers Green is where you can spot some beautiful winter wildlife like Bittern and Song Thrush plus all of our regular favourites – nothing beats a friendly Robin. They’ll be handing out ‘I spy’ sheets this half term so you can see how many you can spot! Pick up a racquet 🎾 Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre are putting on Racquet Sports sessions so your little sporting star can try their hands at both tennis and pickleball in a friendly environment. Reminding us of the spring to come It’s hard to think of the spring of the horizon with the recent weather we’ve had. Eventually the gloomy days will break and the floral stars of spring will be there in all their glory – check out the  snowdrops and daffodils. Myddelton House Gardens great place to explore  a spring daydream – there’s even a café there too. Pick up your steps at The Paddocks Our friend at The Paddocks at Ferry Lane in Tottenham, have a range of weekly activities form wildlife surveys, guided walks and volunteering tasks. During half term week you can join them for a bird and slug survey on Friday as well as a Folklore Walk on Saturday. All spaces are free and need to be booked in advance. Hop out of hibernation It can be hard to get out and about when the weather is not playing ball but here are some great walking routes all on lovely surfaced pathways so you don’t have to worry about getting too muddy: ·       Artwork walking routes   - we have three different routes varying in length ·        Road for Gold ·       Gunpowder Woodland Trail Cycling spring at Lee Valley VeloPark For little cycling fans or older thrill seekers there’s cycling session for every age and ability. Mini peddlers ·       Learn to Ride sessions ·       Balance Bike sessions ·       Pedal Up ·       Pedal Up Pump! Older kids cycling sessions ·       Track Attack! 12-16 ·       BMX Thrills and MTB Skills (ages 7 – 11) ·       BMX Thrills and MTB Skills (ages 12  - 16) Meet the mini ponies at Lee Valley Riding Centre Perfect for those little horse lovers (3+). They’ll get to enjoy grooming, plaiting hair and photo time with the miniature ponies. It's great for building kids’ confidence around horses and also for adults to have a great time too. Book your space today Spin into skating this spring There’s plenty of ice skating sessions to be had at Lee Valley Ice Centre over the half term and they're ideal for all ages and abilities to have some fun on the ice. The stars of Dancing on Ice will have nothing on you – show them who’s the real celebrity. Book your skating session Feeling inspired? Get those sessions booked in and have something to look forward to when the schools break up!

A lot has happened in the short time since I last put pen to paper. The world is a different place and so are the marshes. I was fortunate to spend a large chunk of this August in the Balkans in another set of marshlands. The setting for these marshes made me reflect on the nature of our site and the importance of it. These two places were the same but also the opposite of the other.  It’s given me a slightly altered perspective on what landscapes/habitats represent. We are managing these sites to make them like the best examples of their kind, but, what makes them this is how they interrelate with the environment around them, and that can be different all over the world. Its autumn/winter now and the machinations of summer are beginning to fade away. The depth of green is fading fast with the shortening days. Whatever (soggy) version of a summer we were treated to is over and the site is beginning to reflect a different side to it. One marginally less hospitable, but more open as a result. New sightlines are appearing and soon we’ll be expecting some visitors we’ve been missing for a little while now. I hope everyone found ways to enjoy the summer months and finds themselves heading towards the festive period a little more relaxed. Let me tell you what’s been going on.   Bovine blues  One question on everyone’s lips has been “Where are the cows this year?” There are a couple of things to mention here. Firstly, this was the year we knew we had to replace the fencing on the marsh. In order for this to take place we needed the ground to be dry and in case you had forgotten, this is England. Much of the marsh was still under water well into June and July which consequently delayed the fencing. On top of this, a bout of blue tongue (a nasty bacterial disease affecting livestock) reared its head and the transportation of livestock has been embargoed.  We will, therefore look to have the cattle on slightly earlier next year to make up for lost time. It’s a real shame as I know what joy the cattle bring to everyone who visit the marshes, however, we are at the mercy of the weather and as we’re all aware, extreme weather trends are only likely to increase as we continue fighting the climate crisis. Factoring this into our management is going to be crucial moving forward and something as an organization we are looking to build resilience on. Alas, the cattle won’t be here in 2024 but there will always be a place for them here on the marshes (Sorry cows!).     Volunteers  As ever the volunteers have been instrumental in maintaining and enhancing the site. All we do is under their knowing eyes and I can say it’s been a real joy getting to know a few new faces this year. I’ve littered the newsletter with some examples of the sorts of work they get up to. We have also had some really fantastic corporate groups this year who’ve more than pulled their weight. It’s an easy choice for me between the marshes and the 50th floor of the 'walkie-talkie', I daresay there might be a few corporate bods who have changed their mind since coming and working with us for a day.      Surveys? We’ve had a few.  Where we might be lacking a certain bovine feel this year, the one thing we are replete with is data. You simply cannot manage a space appropriately if you don’t know what is in it.  The upshot of that is that 2024 has been a year of surveying for us. Now for the technical bit! We’ve commissioned a Vegetative survey called the National Vegetation Classification (NVC) as well as an invertebrate survey and we’ve even had Natural England down to complete some condition assessments for areas of the site. Feast and famine are themes within conservation management. These peaks and troughs are observable in natural processes as well as financial inputs. So when the opportunity to have a good gorge on surveying arise then you better believe we’ll be stuffing our proverbial faces.  This data will provide us with mapping for all vegetation and invertebrates on the site. Furthermore we’ll be able to see trends and patterns of decline, look for potential mutualisms between species in relationship to the change in their population/distribution across the site. The NVC in particular will provide us with mapping on vegetative classifications across the site and how they interact and overlap. All of this provides us with a greater understanding of the effects of our work on these areas and whether the desired outcomes are being met. I’ll look to present this data in one form or another over the next few months so those of you with a keen eye for data will be able to have a good gander.   School Groups  In June and July we welcomed a number of school groups to the marshes where they carried out some fieldwork and preparation for their exams. We also had some primary students tour around some of our other local sites where they learned all about the different habitats within the Lee Valley, of which there are loads! These trips are so important for forging a connection between people and place and are definitely something we, the Ranger team, love getting involved in where possible.  Haystacks  It’s absolutely pouring today. When I think back to July, however, to our wonderful, energetic, baking hot Haystacks event I can feel my damp socks reheating. It was a fantastic event, made all the more brilliant thanks to the contributions of our mater scything instructor Ida and the organizer in Chief Kathrin. Well over 100 people participated over the course of the day learning about this traditional haymaking technique and consequently, we found ourselves with a mighty haystack at the end of the day. This was subsequently annihilated by the scores of kids who’d been desperate to jump in the second it began to take shape. Unabashed by streaming noses and puffy red eyes, nothing but total destruction was enough for the hordes of Hackney toddlers, watched on by parents with the right idea, a blanket and a glass of blush – oh go on, you’ve twisted my arm. A brilliant end to a brilliant day. Bring on Haystacks 2025!    Wintering the site  In late summer, sites across Lee Valley Regional Park have their meadows cut. Our meadows need to be cut at least once a year in order to retain the species of interest. The hay is cut and removed so as not to add any nutrients which would favour the faster growing plants. These would otherwise outcompete the more floristically interesting indicator species. It can appear quite a dramatic change, losing the height of the summer meadow sward. As we move into the depths of winter the process of wintering the site begins. There’s a focus on scrub removal and tree safety works. Making safe and secure that which otherwise might provide us with certain issues over the course of the year.  There was a liminal feel to the end of summer. Without the full throated expression of autumn colour, the site took on a bleached sort of tone. It’s a great breath before a new movement and the faded greens will be replaced by deep ochre, browns and reds. The colours of fireworks and the colours of change.   Bioblitz  We’re in the early stages of putting together a series of events for summer 2025 to celebrate our local spaces. Activities and guided walks, survey workshops and guest speakers. There are a host of community groups and organisations invested in the protection of local spaces for nature and people. We want to celebrate this so watch this space and keep your eyes peeled for news on this upcoming festival of nature.  Plans for the future  There are a million and one things I’d love to do on the site over the next few years but here is just a snippet of what we’ll be gearing towards over the coming months…  Bioblitz/Summer festival of nature  Scrub management across site  Tree planting Leyton Marsh   Pond restoration works in Horseshoe Thicket  As ever we look forward to seeing and meeting as many of you as possible to discuss and revel in the space we are all so lucky to enjoy together. If ever you see the team out and about, don’t be afraid to come and let us know your thoughts about the marshes. I’m always happy to give people a little more insight into why we do the things we do. From everyone who manages the marshes, have a wonderful winter and enjoy the festivities. Go on indulge. You’ve earned it!    Follow us online and on Instagram to see what we get up to @walthamstowranger.

Win two UCI Track Champions League tickets, a hotel stay at the Hyatt Regency London Stratford and two cycling experience vouchers for Lee Valley VeloPark (enter between 28 October – 17 November 2024) We can’t wait to welcome the UCI Track Champions League event back to Lee Valley VeloPark on 6 – 7 December. It’s ten years since we opened our doors to the public and what better way to round off this anniversary year than hosting the world’s best riders!   Enter our prize draw today and celebrate with us in the heart of the action at the international League’s sell out Grand Finale on Saturday 7 December when the overall winners will be crowned.   The exciting prize, worth over £650, consists of: Two Track Centre Lounge tickets  – which include food and drink – for the UCI Track Champions League  at Lee Valley VeloPark on Saturday 7 December One double room  (including breakfast) at the Hyatt Regency, London Stratford . Check in on Saturday 7 December, check out on Sunday 8 December A behind the scenes tour at the event Two Velodrome Flying Lap experience vouchers for Lee Valley VeloPark which can be redeemed over the next 12 months for this experience session   The competition gives you and a friend the chance see the best of the best in action as riders battle it out on the track where Olympic medals have been won and champions crowned. The Track Centre Lounge tickets are sold out – your only way in is to WIN!!   You can view further details on: UCI Track Champions League Grand Finale event   Hyatt Regency London Stratford Velodrome Flying Lap experience at Lee Valley VeloPark   It’s easy to enter. Just complete and submit your details on the form below and after the closing date we’ll choose one lucky winner – fingers crossed as it could be you!   Competition closes at 23:59 on Sunday 17 November 2024   Terms and conditions apply. Read T&Cs Please note to enter this prize draw you must be over 18 years old. To take part in the Velodrome Flying Lap experience you must be at least 145 cm / 4ft 9ins in height.

The weather has well and truly turned and its time to make the most of the day time by getting outdoors and keeping active. Be inspired for great days out and take a read of our Lee Valley Regional Park hot spots this October half term. Plan you next day out British Open 26 - 27 October  FREE Watch some of the stars of Paris 2024 hit the rapids at Lee Valley White Water Centre Rye House Gatehouse Open Day 27 October  FREE - donations welcome Learn about the history of one of England's first brick built houses from tales of treason to seasonally spooky stories Keeping active   Hit the lake - 26 & 27 October  This is the last chance to hit the lake at Lee Valley White Water Centre! Try out a kayak, SUP board or tackle the Water Wipeout - Book your space quick so you don't miss out Fright Night Disco - 1 November Spooky skating is on the cards at Lee Valley Ice Centre where you can throw some frightening shapes in the rink in this Halloween Special Junior Have a Go horse riding session The perfect sessions for those aged five to 15 to start their horse riding journey with a 30 minute slot   Star Track - 29 October - 1 November Got a budding athlete in the family? Lee Valley Athletics Centre has their Star Track camp were you'll get three days of training with a epic competition on the final day Sunday at the Mills Fireworks at the Mills 27 October 2 November £15 per adult and £10 per child - From £7.50 free parking and tea or coffee See autumn sights We've had an early autumn in the park and the leaves have already begun to turn. Here are some of the best places to see the changing hues: Myddelton House Gardens Waltham Abbey Gardens Fishers Green Walthamstow Marshes Tottenham Marshes You can read more about the trees in the park and try out forest bathing. Winter wildlife in the park  The Bittern has already been spotted in the park and we're expecting more winter wildlife to start flocking to the park. The Wildlife Discovery Centre is the perfect place to see them with views over Seventy Acres Lake and friendly volunteers on hand to help.  Connect with your sense  We've two great sensory routes around the park so you can soak up the changing sounds, smells and textures in the park Sensory route around Gunpowder Park Sensory route around Waltham Abbey Gardens

This competition has now closed. Congratulations to our winner Julian Harding.   We’re continuing the celebrations of Lee Valley VeloPark being open for 10 years and saluting the fantastic athletes competing at the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games with a competition to win an adrenalin fuelled sessions on our velodrome track.   The competition gives you and a friend the chance to experience our iconic banked velodrome track – the track where medals have been won and champions crowned. It’s the ideal place to unearth your inner champion as you get those pedals turning.   You and companion will be able to experience a fun 80 minute session at Lee Valley VeloPark in which you’ll: Be given all the necessary track cycling kit Receive coaching on how to ride a fixed wheel bike Learn the basic skills needed to be able to ride our awesome track   Once you’ve mastered the basic skills, get a flying lap where you can compare your speed to cycling’s stars.   You can view further details of the Velodrome Flying Lap experience here .   It’s easy to enter Just complete and submit your details on the form below and after the closing date we’ll choose one lucky winner – finger crossed as it could be you.   Competition closes at 23:59 on Saturday 7 September 2024 - this competition has now closed.   Terms and conditions apply. Read T&Cs . Please note to participate in the experience you must be at least 145 cm / 4ft 9ins in height

This competition is now closed. Congratulations to our winner Hayley Turness. White water rafting experience It’s slalom time at the Paris 2024 Olympics – teams from around the world are battling it out on raging white water rapids to be crowned Olympic champions.   Fancy giving it a go? Enter our free prize draw where you and a friend will get the chance to have an adrenalin pumping white water experience at Lee Valley White Water Centre. Built for the canoe slalom events at the London 2012 Games, this world class venue lets you experience the same strength of rapids  Olympic athletes take on.   You and your companion will be able to book either a Rafting Unleashed, Hydrospeeding for Hot Dog Kayaking session Lee Valley White Water Centre in which you’ll: Take part in a 90 minute activity session Be given all the necessary kit needed (you just need your swimming gear and a towel to dry off) Receive coaching from our instructors on what you need to do Learn the skills needed to let you navigate the rapids   Olympic and World Champions have been crowned on these rapids, unleash your inner champions and take on these awesome rapids!   Olympic and World Champions have been crowned on these rapids, unleash your inner champions and take on these awesome rapids!   Have a look at the activities you can choose: Rafting Unleashed Hydrospeeding Hot Dogs Kayaking   It’s easy to enter Just complete and submit your details on the form below and after the closing date we’ll choose one lucky winner – finger crossed as it could be you. Competition closes at 23:59 on Sunday 11 August 2024 - this competition is now closed   Terms and conditions apply. Read T&Cs . Please note to participate in any of the experiences detailed you must be over 12 years old and individually weigh under 18 stone.

THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED. Congratulations to our winner Samita! To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Lee Valley VeloPark and the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics, we wanted to give you and a friend the chance to experience our iconic banked velodrome track and cycle in the tyre marks of track cycling champions. It’s the ideal place to get those pedals turning and channel your internal track cycling champion.   You and your companion will be able to experience a fun 80 minute session at Lee Valley VeloPark where you’ll: be given all the necessary track cycling kit receive coaching on how to ride a fixed wheel bike learn the basic skills needed to be able to ride our awesome track once you’ve mastered the basic skills, you’ll  get a flying lap where you can compare yourself to the track cycling professionals   Jason Kenney won the sprint in London 2012 with lap time of 9.713 second – can you beat his time?   You can view further details of the Velodrome Flying Lap experience here .   It’s easy to enter Just complete and submit your details on the form below and after the closing date we’ll choose one lucky winner – finger crossed as it could be you. Competition closes at 23:59 on Sunday 14 July 2024   Terms and conditions apply. Read T&Cs . Please note to participate in the experience you must be at least 145 cm / 4ft 9ins in height

Firstly, I’d like to introduce myself, I’m Luke Boyle, the Ranger for the Walthamstow and Leyton marsh areas. Switching scenery from the East Sussex seaside to the marshes of east London has been a joy for me since starting here last year. I feel very lucky to be able to spend the majority of my time out on the marshes. Ambling through North Marsh on a crisp, cool morning, heavy with dew, there’s nowhere I’d rather be. I’ve been fortunate enough to spend a great deal of time getting to meet and greet many of the local faces who are as foundational to the feel of Walthamstow Marshes as the landscape features and the plant and animal communities. Having found my feet it seems a good time to get the newsletter up and running again given how important a role the community plays in the upkeep of the reserve. The team have been working incredibly hard over the past few years protecting and enhancing the site all the while maintaining the high standards which afford the site its Green Flag status, as well as Gold award winning London in Bloom sites. As a consequence we have a huge amount to share with you all in terms of what state the site is in, how things might have changed since you last visited, what the outlook is as we move forward and how you might be able to participate in protecting this beautiful space we all are so lucky to benefit from. I hope you enjoy. The day to day It’s easy to forget, as we crash headlong into spring, that the marshes don’t always appear the most hospitable place. If you walk the marshes at the time I’m writing this in May, the air is perfumed with elderflower. Your field of vision swims in the seasonally lush, lime green of early spring. Purples and whites from Cow Parsley and Honesty, Comfrey and Borage are the palette for what remains to me, a surreal environment squeezed between Zones 2 & 3 on the London underground. And by remembering the depths of winter, the surreal nature of the marshes is brought into even sharper focus. As we all know it has been wet this winter. Seriously, seriously wet. Outlines of the ephemeral streams and rivers have wrought their history on North Marsh and remained filled with water for months now. Much of the work we wanted to carry out on this marsh was oriented around enhancing the grassland by reducing patches of scrub. We were able to clear large areas from across the site but not as much as we’d have ideally liked. The beauty of a job like this is that we’ll be able to have another go after the bird breeding season is over. Whilst bramble is valuable habitat for much of the wildlife that uses the marshes, it’s aggressive. Left unchecked it would reduce the whole site to scrub over a matter of years. In order to maintain and enhance the equilibrium and range of species across the site we have to battle it continuously. In January this year the green was muted and the trees were bare. The two ponds in Horseshoe Thicket had been left overgrown for rather longer than was optimum. Over the course of a few (freezing cold!!) sessions in waders, our honorary wardens and some of my colleagues were able to reduce the levels of reed, creating some interesting structure for the vegetation in the ponds. We also created some barer patches in the south facing margins that hopefully would attract amphibians and reptiles later on in the year. And in the areas where we cut, we can see now growing Cuckooflower in abundance. Across the site as a whole, the areas adjacent to ditches or ponds where we carried out winter cutting have seen a strong number of Cuckooflowers. As the larval food plant for Orange-tip butterflies, we can only hope that this will be a bumper year for both. On the South Marsh this late winter we have had the ongoing presence of Snipe. Given that this area isn’t accessible to the general public, the Snipe, which are Amber listed on the IUCN species list, have made home from (we think) February onwards. Impossible to see as a ground nesting, wading bird, Snipe are becoming rarer and rarer in wet grassland areas and lowland generally. It feels like a positive place to be when you see them scatter into the air, swing round and regain their composure on the sopping wet marsh. The prominent row of native Black Poplars that dissects Leyton Marsh and the South Marsh has been standing proud for around 100 years. Whilst this type of tree can live to around 200 - 250 years, there’s significant risk of their demise once they reach their current size and age. Balancing the conservation of the site as a whole with the very real pressures that come with managing such a public site is a tight walk the Ranger team often having to traverse. We’re using the scrape as a nursery for a succession of Black Poplars which will one day hopefully reach the heady heights of their forebears right next to them. We planted over 100 tree on the margins of Leyton marsh this year with a view to planting very many more in the next available season. It’s an area of the marshes where we have more freedom to experiment than the SSSI and where planting trees will both provide habitat for a whole suite of species and increase our capacity to capture carbon. Bees and other such buzz This year we’ve given particular notice to the bees which forage across the marshes. In the summer of 2023, all three Carder Bee species were sighted around Lee Valley Ice Centre during a survey undertaken by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. Research being carried out on site (more details on which we hope to share in our next issue) suggests the Coppermill meadows are some of the most biodiverse areas on site for bees and other winged invertebrates . In its current state, awash with Garlic Mustard, Cowslip and Nettles in flower, it’s easy to see how a bee might find riches enough to make a suitable home on the meadows. It’s a huge boon for the site to boast this type of diversity even outside of the boundary of the SSSI. Volunteers Our volunteers have been as dedicated as ever in assisting with the management of the sites this year. In September and October we cleared a couple of big areas of reedbed from both the South and North Marsh. Once these are cut, we’d be lost without the help of our volunteers to help remove the spoil from site. We remove the reed to halt the nutrients from returning to the earth. This prevents the more adventitious plants from crowding out the reed as it grows back up over the winter and into the spring. This is common approach for reedbeds and wet meadows and the timing is crucial. Too early and we can interfere with the habitats of communities within the grasses and too late, the site will become waterlogged and make cutting nigh on impossible. Ox Bow Island This joint project on the Canal & and River Trust owned island has been running since before COVID and is now virtually complete. New paths and dead hedging orchestrate a proper woodland walk. Trees and bulbs have been planted. Coir rolls have stabilized the bank within the inlet and we have been able to get on top of invasive non-native species especially Floating Pennywort. We’ll continue to make little improvements where necessary but as of now Ox Bow Island is a lovely place to spend a little time when out and about. Plans for the year Here’s a taste of the projects we have planned in for the next year on the marshes, many of which you’ll be able to learn more about in our next edition: Black Poplar succession planting nursery Leyton Marsh Yellow Rattle regeneration Ox Bow Island meadow management Coppermill bulb planting Leyton Marsh carbon capture tree planting programme Haystacks community event Replacing fencing on South Marsh This summer all of our focus turns maintenance and surveying. We’re hoping to complete an invertebrate survey for the site as a whole in line with the ones carried out five and 10 years ago. We’ll welcome the return of our small herd of cattle to site and wonder whether we’ll have another unexpected calf appear mid-way through the season. And we’ll continue to learn how the marshes change over the course of a year, unfixed as they are, and all the more special for it. We look forward to seeing you all on the marshes! Leave no trace! We love to see people using the marshes and would ask everyone to respect this beautiful green space by ensuring they clean up after their dogs and take any rubbish away with them . New Instagram channel! Follow us online and on our new Instagram to see what we get up to @walthamstowranger

Can you believe another school holidays has made its way round? This time we have all of our fingers crossed for some sunny days so we can make the most of summer early. Take a read of what’s on offer and get planning your break. Watersports Nothing says summer like hitting the water and we’ve lots of places where you can try your hand at different paddlesports. If you want the kids to burn off some energy, Lee Valley White Water Centre’s  inflatable Water Wipeout course is where you want to be. Looking for a day of activities for the kids? ESSA Water Activity Centre  has Multi Activity Day where your kids can try their hand at three different activities in the day.   Horse riding Lee Valley Riding Centre  have two great sessions to help your little ones confidence with horses and how to care for them. Own A Pony is for children aged 5+ where they get a taster of what it would be like to own their own pony. Meet the Minis is for little pony lovers aged 3+ where they will get the chance to meet and groom American Miniature Horses and ask all their pony questions.   Cycling Lee Valley Regional Park is perfect for cycling whether it’s testing the trails at Lee Valley VeloPark ’s BMX, mountain bike and track cycling sessions or taking on one of our routes  throughout the park – the Artway routes  are great for little legs and give the kids something to look out for!   Wildlife watching The half term marks the end of spring and the beginning of summer so there are some changes in the flora and fauna out in the park: Keep an eye out for Reed Warblers flitting between the reeds, ducklings like Coots and Moorhens on the water or messy feathered little birds hopping around on woodland floor. If you find a baby bird follow these instructions. Listen out for the calls of birds such as the Cuckoo, Nightingale and screaming Swifts! Breathe in the smell of seasonal flowers like Elderflower and Honeysuckle Use your fingertips to feel the different bark textures, silver birch has smooth bark and Black Popular has ridged bark The Wildlife Discovery Centre  is a great place to visit. The kids can learn more about the natural environment around them and see if they can spot any wildlife from the tower over Seventy Acres Lake.     Events you can get involved with Our friends at The Paddocks are running bird  and ladybird  surveys on 31 May, all the family can join in and develop children’s curiosity in the natural world. Our Ranger Team are running a drop in session at Turnford Brook on 2 June where you can learn more about the park and what you can do there, pop by and have a chat! We love seeing photos of your visit so make sure you tag us in your social media posts so we can see and share your great visits on Facebook ,  Twitter , Threads  and Instagram

We’re delighted to be marking 10 years since we opened the doors of Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre to the public after two years of transformation works following the London 2012 Games. This impactful centre is now firmly established as one of the big five sports venues on London’s wonderful Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Are you among the 460,000 people who’ve played here or the thousands upon thousands have enjoyed an almost non-stop series of major international events?   Did you know that the site, which is owned by Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, has a sporting pedigree going back to 1923? The Authority were a key part of London’s bid for the 2012 Games and we made sure that Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre was perfectly designed for its post Games legacy use.   To mark 10 years of being open to the public, here’s 10 things that sum up what this award winning venue is all about:   1. London 2012 Games This was 2012’s only new purpose built Paralympic venue, hosting the wheelchair tennis competition. Eight days of thrilling competition attracted record crowds to three events. ParalympicsGB won two medals, a silver in the Quad doubles and a Bronze in the Women’s doubles. Image credit: The Tennis Foundation & Professional Sport Photography 2. Open to the public – 21 June 2014 After the Games work took place to transform the venue to what you see today – ready for when we threw open the doors 10 years ago. Visitors can use: four US Open standard indoor tennis courts six outdoor courts two of the best hockey pitches in the country which host domestic matches, schools and community teams as well as international events.   3. Delivering 10 years of sporting legacy Legacy has always been our big focus – and we’re proud to say that: since opening 1.3 million people have visited   460,000  have played hockey and tennis we’ve given away 2,000 free event tickets  for community groups over 1,000 people have participated in funded programmes we’ve hosted 13 major international events   4. Delivering community focused programmes With the help of Lee Valley Regional Park Authority’s Community Access Fund and its Active Communities grant scheme, and the work of partners, we’ve delivered a wide range of impactful community initiatives. These include mental health tennis sessions in partnership with Core Arts which promote positive physical and mental wellbeing and the Hackney New Age Games programme in partnership with Hackney Council which encourages older people to take part in physical activity. Find out more about our grant programmes .   5. Extensive tennis coaching programme The venue has established a great programme offering over 70 hours of coaching a week delivered by a dedicated team. Sessions available allow children as young as four to pick up a racket, learn new skills and get active in an inspirational setting. Find out more .   6. Boosting disability tennis We’re a hub for disability tennis and kicked off our tennis events programme with three successive years of the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters bringing the biggest names in wheelchair tennis, including 2012 Paralympic medallists back to our indoor courts.   7. Record crowds for women’s hockey We’re used to hosting large scale international hockey events – however the 2018 Vitality Hockey Women’s World Cup was extra special with over 120,000 spectators – a UK record for women’s hockey outside an Olympics - coming to watch the matches, making the atmosphere electric. Image credit: World Sport Pics, Rodrigo Jaramillo.   8. FIH Pro League Since 2018 we’ve hosted the GB leg of these international league matches with our top class hockey pitches taking centre stage in these thrilling on pitch battles.   9.  Road to Rio Programme This programme helped spot the next generation of wheelchair tennis players to represent GB at the Paralympics, delivering grass roots support for progression in the sport. ­ 10. Jam packed calendar It’s not only the big events that take place, our hockey pitches are in constant use with school and university teams playing, as well as domestic hockey league matches and six clubs based here.

The best place in the world to cycle? We certainly think so! We’re marking 10 years since this iconic venue opened to the public back in 2014. Since then more than 740,000 people have cycled here taking advantage of truly world class facilities in London’s beautiful Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.   We’re the only place in the world where you can do track, BMX, road and mountain biking – and there’s a new reason to visit as we’ve just opened a brand new gym.   Born out of Lee Valley Regional Park Authority’s 2003 vision to deliver a wonderful cycling venue as part of a “Zone of Sporting Excellence” in the Lee Valley, our plans were incorporated into the London Olympic bid   and we oversaw every stage of Lee Valley VeloPark’s design to ensure that this stunning venue was perfect for legacy.   To mark 10 years since we threw the doors open, here’s 10 things that sum up what Lee Valley VeloPark is all about.   1. London 2012 Games Were you lucky enough to get to the velodrome during London 2012? It was the fastest selling ticket of the Games! The electric atmosphere helped Team GB and ParalympicsGB dominate the field and excel, winning an unprecedented 24 medals. Sellout crowds saw Chris Hoy, Laura Kenny (née Trott), Mark Colbourne, Sarah Storey and Neil Fachie among many other household names show what British athletes could do. Just next door, the Olympic BMX track saw some great adrenalin fuelled action too.   2. Transformation and public opening to the public Our team made sure that Lee Valley VeloPark (along with the nearby Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre, and Lee Valley White Water Centre in Hertfordshire) had its post Olympics legacy use designed in from the very start. We had the Olympic BMX track modified so that mere mortals could ride it and added a one mile road circuit and five miles of mountain bike trails, this makes Lee Valley VeloPark the only place in the world where you can do these four forms of cycling in one place. We opened with some big name athletes at the grand finale of the Revolution Series, then threw our doors open to legions of cyclists who have taken on the four circuits.   3. It’s all about the numbers Legacy has always been our big focus – and we’re proud to say that since opening: 740,000 people have cycled here We’ve given away 5,800 free event tickets  for community groups Over 4,000 people  have participated in free funded programmes 5,000 school children ride every year We’ve hosted 18 major international events   4. Delivering community focused programmes While we have had a very successful track record of commercial hires, team building days and the hire of meeting space – and are now even home to a university - 90% of the cycling programme is reserved for communities, schools and clubs making this state of the art venue accessible to everyone. Lee Valley VeloPark works with social enterprise Bikeworks to offer all ability cycling sessions and with the support of funding from Lee Valley Regional Park Authority’s Community Access Fund and Active Communities Grants scheme and we run sessions for groups who might not be able to afford to ride or may not think cycling is for them. Find out more about our funding programmes .   5. Running an extensive cycling activity programme With four cycling disciplines in one location there’s a diverse programme on offer whether you’re looking to tackle the velodrome track, the bumps and berms of the BMX, take on mountain bike trails or ride the traffic free road circuit. There’s even toddler sessions so that children as young as two can learn to ride. Find out more .   6. Invictus Games 2014 It was quite a moment when the Invictus Games held their inaugural event at Lee Valley VeloPark. The road circuit came alive with veterans battling it out for their team and country with Prince Harry watching on. Like us, these Games are also celebrating their 10 year anniversary this year.   7. Making history with events Our event pedigree is undisputed – not only have Olympians and Paralympians graced our velodrome track but World Champions and Commonwealth Games medalists have too. With the fastest track in the world you can see why all the best want to race here. When we hosted the track cycling events for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games we made history becoming the only venue to have hosted an Olympics, Paralympics, World Championship and Commonwealth Games in the same sport. And we’ve got our share of world records too, in 2015 Bradley Wiggins smashed the hour record by cycling 33.88 miles in 60 minutes! 8. UCI Track Champions League You can see that holding major events is in our DNA and we’ve hosted the grand finale of the UCI Track Champions League since 2021 where the 6,000 seater velodrome is packed to the rafters. We make free community tickets available bringing this top flight track cycling event to  communities across the region, inspiring generations of cyclists. Image credit: SWpix.com . 9. What does the shape of the velodrome remind you of? Have you ever looked at the shape of the velodrome and compared it to a popular snack? Well you’re not the only one. It was nicknamed the Pringle as soon as it was built and the company used it as the backdrop for a spectacular promotional light show back in February 2022.   10. We’re not done yet! The venue may be well established with its cycling roots firmly embedded however we’re not standing still. We constantly invest in the venue to keep it at the top of its game – two years ago installing £600,000 worth of LED lights to reduce energy consumption. Our latest investment landed on 1 May - a brand new gym and fitness studios. Next stop is new meeting spaces overlooking the track.