Haggerston Park is buzzing!
t was the greatest summer in Haggerston Park”, said one 10 year-old participant. “Summer Buzz” has proved an overwhelming success, with the Hackney park filled to capacity every day as 300 local children and young people flocked to free summer activities.

For the last two weeks [1-12 August], children aged 8 to 18 have enjoyed a variety of events including an inflatable assault course organised by the Army, drumming and percussion workshops from Street Level, bike check-ups by Dr Bike and football training with The Academy of Sport. The Academy also ran a football tournament in Shoreditch Park. All events were free of charge.

The Summer Buzz scheme was organised by Elevate and the Academy of Sport. The idea was to provide fun and inclusive activities for young people who might not have had the opportunity otherwise.

Emma Barnes, General Manager of Elevate, said, “We’ve been really pleased with the attendance and have had a lot of positive feedback from young people and park staff.”

Leslie Fevrier, Director of the Academy, said, “With the success of the Olympic bid it was good to see so many local young people taking part and it will hopefully be one of many events organised by The Academy of Sport & Elevate over the coming years.”

The Academy of Sport provides weekly sports coaching and tutoring sessions. For more information, please contact Tracey on 07984 495 310.

Canning Town Activity Week
eir Hardy Park in Canning Town once again provided the stage for a week of fun and games this half-term. Young people aged from 8 to 18 were invited to come along to sports activities arranged by Elevate, Pinnacle’s charitable venture. Professional sports coaches were called in, including a Tottenham Hotspur scout, in order to make this event more than just your average jumpers-for-goalposts kick-about in the park.

Despite the ubiquitous October rains, young people still came along and in good numbers. Wednesday was the most popular with 40 young people, but more than 60 got involved at one stage or another during the week. With quality equipment and coaching, those involved had the chance to have good games of football, culminating in a tournament on Friday which saw teams playing it out for the crown of victory. Many tears were shed as well as shouts of joy heard as brother fought brother on the pitch for the title of victor. Medals and trophies formed an excellent reward (as well as some chocolate!) for all who played. Excellent coaches were well organised and kept control at all times over the large group of youngsters. The atmosphere was always one of good fun, with a healthy element of competition. Tottenham scout Lesley Fevrier kept a beady eye on things and noted a promising young player from the area who will be hearing again from the north London club, although coming from east London, his allegiances my be challenged in this respect!

Beside the football, other sports were on offer. Athletics went down well on Thursday, providing youngsters an excuse to chase around the course at alarming speeds! Watching their enjoyment of this, it seems the Olympic Games will certainly be very welcome here!

All in all, a good time was had by all. This week of sport was a resounding success, with residents noting how quiet the estates were while the sports week was on! The young people have lots of energy and lots of talent, and this week gave them an excellent opportunity to show that. Elevate are looking to put on similar and new events for young people very soon, in order to provide more opportunities to such energetic and promising young people.