Young people made a splash at the London 2012 Olympics white water venue in Waltham Cross on a special community day to encourage physical activity.
Around two hundred nearby residents enjoyed a day out at the Lea Valley White Water Centre on Wednesday 4 April. It offered a free opportunity to try a range of water sports on the professional course.
Visitors weren’t deterred by dark skies as they got stuck in to try white water rafting on the Olympics legacy loop, stand-up paddle boarding and kayaking.
Donna, whose son gave kayaking a go, said: “I’m a single mum and we live over the road from the centre but we had never been in – my son has autism and struggles in crowds and trying new activities. I thought it would be too expensive to come if he then couldn’t do the activity.
“By putting on a day like this we were able to get him to try it and he absolutely loved it. He didn’t have a single episode even when he was getting the wetsuit on and off! He must find being on the water calming – we’ll be coming back after this experience”.
Broxbourne Council worked in partnership with the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority to put on the day and received supportive funding from StreetGames, a charity that helps get disadvantaged young people into sport.
The event took place as part of a programme of events for Broxbourne’s Year of Community and Hertfordshire’s Year of Physical Activity.
To find out more about activities for young people in their local area, people can contact Broxbourne Council’s Community Development Team by calling 01992 785 555 extension 2507 or follow @YouthBroxbourne on Twitter.