The 19th annual Gillespie Park Festival on Sunday 11 September 2005 (2pm–6pm) is set to be bigger and better than ever.<br><br>Organised by the Friends of Gillespie Park with support from Islington Council’s nature conservation team, the festival promises fun, food, entertainment and good company in the lovely late summer setting of Gillespie Park. <br><br>The tradition of the festival began 19 years ago, as part of a community campaign to have the disused British Rail site turned into a nature reserve. There were plans to sell the site to developers, but the community successfully lobbied for the creation of the park, to protect the wildlife which had colonised the site.<br><br>Islington Mayor, Jonathan Dearth, and Jeremy Corbyn MP will officially open the festival, which includes a fun-packed programme of live performances and activities for all ages.<br><br>There will be guided walks of the park by Islington’s nature conservation team, a dedicated children’s activity area, as well as 35 food, craft and local charity stalls. <br><br>There will be a diverse and exciting line-up of live performances ranging from African dance and drumming performed by Laurentt’s Troupe, to the Northern Celts who will get people’s feet moving to a Celtic jig or two. <br><br>There will also be an acoustic café to provide relaxed tunes and a place to chill out in the summer mood.<br><br>Young people will have plenty to keep them occupied with drumming workshops (by Rhythm Section), storytelling (by June Peters) and environmental arts and crafts such as Stix and his newspaper-rolling machine, and Eco-Active and their solar-powered milk float. <br><br>There will also be face-painting and portrait-drawing.<br><br>Cllr Bridget Fox, Executive member for sustainability, said: “Gillespie Park is one of Islington’s best-loved open spaces and the festival is something the whole community really looks forward to. Even people who have moved away from Islington come back just for the festival to reunite with old friends and meet new ones who share their appreciation of the park. It’s a fantastic day for the whole family.”<br><br>Gillespie Park can be accessed from entrances on Gillespie Road, Drayton Park and St Thomas’s Road. Buses 236, 19 and 4 stop on nearby Blackstock Road and the nearest tube station is Arsenal (Piccadilly Line). <br><br>For more information contact Oliver Burke at the Islington Ecology Centre on 020 7354 5162 or by e-mail to islingtonecologycentre@btopenworld.com
Page Last Updated: 17 December 2009