To get an idea of what can be achieved we can review what happened last year.
On September 13th 2008 around 3000 people attended the ‘Restore the Rec’ Community Festival. The festival was organised by the Lordship Rec Users Forum with the aim of showcasing the great potential of the Rec to coincide with the Lottery bid efforts.
The 2008 festival involved using every part of the park and the aim was to encourage local community organisations to put on a wide range of activities in order to involve and provide something for everyone. See below for a detailed summary of what happened last year. The aim is to do the same this year, but hopefully even better – with your active involvement and support!
The Friends of Lordship Rec took on responsibility for the overall coordination of the infrastructure of the festival and publicity but each activity put on at the festival was organised autonomously by various groups and individuals. The general organisation was truly community-led and organised through open planning meetings. One of the main successes of the day was that it was all participatory. This encouraged people to talk to each other and play together. Not only was there good council/community partnership working but the Council worked well across departments to make the festival a success.
The final cost of the festival was around £13,000 from various grants and Council departments in addition to many hundreds of hours of voluntary work by the Friends and local residents. We are all agreed that we want to continue to make this festival a yearly event on the Haringey Calendar, and focus the festival on green issues and conservation, health and social inclusion.
Last year, the following activities were organised by a wide range of groups and organisations:
- Tottenham Flower & Produce Show, with displays and competitions for home grown and home made vegetables, fruit, flower-arrangements, cakes, emboidery and much more [organised by Back To Earth]
- Dog training and agility show and competitions [organised by Lordship Rec Dog Club]
- Peace Bikeride [organised by Haringey Peace Alliance]
- 1km Fun Run around the Rec [organised by Haringey Sports Council]
- Performance Showcase, youth music and dance in the Broadwater Farm Community Centre by the park [organised by ukunsigned and the Centre]
- 2 cafes [laid on by the Lordship Rec Mother & Toddler Group in the children’s playground, and by Back To Earth at the Broadwater Farm Community Kitchen]
- Freestyle area skateboarding/BMXing, with scores of casual riders/skaters and expert participants [including a visit from Peckham BMX Club]
- Football tournament for youth teams [organised by Clasford Sterling of Broadwater Farm Community Centre]
- Rugby Skills Clinic [ organised by London Skolars]
- Cycling activities, including: specialist bikes for people with mobility difficulties [organised by Brakethru Club based at the Rec], fun bikes for free hire in the Model Traffic Area organised by Company of Cyclists], and also ‘Dr Bike’ bike repairs and information [organised by Chestnuts Northside Residents Association, and Haringey Cycling Campaign]
- Pony Rides [organised by Campaign For Riding in Haringey, and Gillian’s Riding School]
- Arts and Crafts for the Under 5s [organised by the local Children’s Centres]
- History stalls and displays [organised by Tottenham Civic Society, and Friends of Lordship Rec]
- Nature activities, including pond-dipping, bug hunts, and nature walks and talks around the lake and woodland [organised by Haringey BTCV, and Froglife] and tree information [by Lordship Rec Friends of Graham Lee]
- Health-related activities, including a walk, health checks and advice [organised by Haringey Primary Care Trust]
- Children’s adventure play activities [organised by Haringey Play Association]
- Peace Picnic [organised by local SGI buddhist organisation]
- Tottenham Food Co-op stall [organised by Sustainable Haringey Food Group and Back To Earth]
- Pedal-powered Impromptu Performance Stage in the park, for bands and DJing [organised by Back To Earth and Magnificent Revolutions]
- Community stalls [including from Broadwater Farm Residents Association, Bruce Grove Residents Network and other residents associations from the surrounding communities, the Broadwater Farm ‘Just 4 Girlz’ group, Wards Corner Community Coalition, Wood Green Animal Shelter, the local Friends of the Earth group, and from the Friends of Lordship Rec]
- Ambulance Service [organised by local charity, Little Flame]
- Information point, and display about Lordship Rec Future Plans [organised by Friends of Lordship Rec and Haringey Council’s Parks Dept]
Scenes from the 2007 festival can be viewed in the special 15min ‘Restore Our Rec!’ documentary made to promote the Lottery bid. You can watch it on your pc at:
https://lordshiprec.live-website.com/video/