On 26th and 27th September 2015, Countryside Live took place in the Lee Valley Park at Walthamstow and Leyton Marshes. The aim of this family friendly event was to bring the countryside into the city with lots of different activities on offer for visitors to participate in.
The weekend was packed full of arena displays, falconry, sheep dogs and ferret racing and the infamous dancing sheep show. There was also a range of traditional countryside activities to try including willow weaving and wood turning.
The Landscape Group (TLG) had a stand where the whole family could get busy and build wildlife boxes for bats and birds, as well as constructing insect hotels. Many of the visitors were interested to learn about our work on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and how we monitor biodiversity, as well as hearing about all the different wildlife that we see on the Park.
Over the course of the weekend more than 200 wildlife boxes were built and they will provide homes for animals in the gardens of the local area. Children also got creative when they took part in the ‘Design a Brilliant Butterfly’ activity. At the end of the weekend there were lots of colourful creations.
TLG’s stall is always popular and this year was no exception. It was great to see families enjoying the activities on offer and learning about wildlife in the local area.