8,000 residents attend to celebrate the community-led regeneration of Tottenham’s largest park, and to showcase the talents and interests of Tottenham’s communities
The 2012 Lordship Rec ‘Re-launch’ Community Festival in Tottenham on Saturday 22nd September was a huge success. 8,000 attended the celebration of the new community-led regeneration works in the Recreation Ground, and took part in a dazzling array of free activities for all ages and interests. From 11am to 5pm thousands joined in the sports, arts and crafts, music and dance, history, discussions, browsing of stalls, and other fun and educational activities. As in the previous annual festivals in the Rec, the idea was to showcase the talents and interests of Tottenham’s communities and to promote community spirit. Over 70 local volunteers helped the day go smoothly.
The event was organised and co-ordinated by the Lordship Rec Users Forum**, the community-led stakeholders organisation who have driven forward the successful regeneration of the park over the last 10 years. £5m of construction works over the last 18 mths (£4m from the Heritage Lottery Fund) have resulted in a gorgeous brand-new flower-lined channel for the River Moselle, a new ‘Loop’ bike track and an Environmental Hub building with café and classroom, refurbishment of the Shell Theatre, restoration of the historic and nationally-unique Model Traffic Area, new meadows, flower-beds and tree planting, and general improvements to drainage, paths and entrances. The festival was able to introduce all these new features and facilities to local residents.
Activities at the festival included the Tottenham Flower & Produce Show; Dog Show; Cycling Extravaganza (including Trax skills, Dr Bike, Peace Bike Ride, specialist mobility bikes and Fun Bikes); Green Zone; City Farm Animals and Horse Rides; Athletics pop-up track and a Fun Run; Community Games; Fitness and Gym equipment; Puppet Shows; Performances of Music and Dance (including Dance Stage, Buskers Corner and Shell Theatre stage with bands and choirs); a Community Café and a Cream Teas tent; Football Tournaments and various other indoor and outdoor Sports (eg Netball, Tennis, Sanjuro, Table tennis and Badminton); Arts and Crafts for Under-5s and for older children; Bouncy Castle; History Zone; Lakeside pond-dipping; Adventure Play; 64 Community Stalls (including information, bric-a-brac, cakes and face-painting); Art Gallery; Housing Rights discussion; Wildlife and Gardening Walks and Talks; Environmental Hub Open House tours; and a huge Hot Air Balloon. And of course many people organised their own picnics all over the park.
” The wealth of local talent, energy and community spirit on show at our annual festival was matched by the excellent new facilities and features in our rejuvenated park. The people of Tottenham deserve the best possible local public services and opportunities and this 10-year community-led regeneration project has demonstrated what can be achieved when residents’ own visions for the future are backed by the resources and political will we need. We look forward to this community empowerment continuing over the next 10 years as we help to manage the park in partnership with the Council. “ – Dave Morris, Chair of the Lordship Rec Users Forum
** The Lordship Rec Users Forum is made up of the Friends of Lordship Rec, the Back To Earth local charity, other users groups of the park, local Residents Associations, Haringey Council’s Leisure Services, and many other local organisations.
