Today I had an opportunity to take part in an extremely impressive tour of the work sites in Epping Forest as part of the National Scout Conservation Project  at Fairmead Campsite in High Beach. Over 100 volunteers from all over country were busy in activities such as tree clearing, pond de-silting, pathway repairs etc.  The future is certainly bright.

The much publicised Charity Sky Ride was held at Redbridge Cycling Centre this morning and gave us the opportunity to show the county our fantastic cycle centre at Hoggs Hill.  It is a lovely setting and there is an unbelievable panorama over London.

Mary and I were given an opportunity to tour the Hospital Chapel today at the Friends of the Hospital Chapel Open Day.  The Chapel is the oldest in the Borough with many historical features and we both found the tour very interesting.

The heavens opened for the South Woodford Bowling Club’s Jubilee & Churchill Cups Finals Competition at Elmhurst Gardens Bowling Green.  We all know about singing in the rain but bowling in the rain is something else!  A great day was had by all and the rain did not diminish spirits.

I had the pleasure of tea at the Wanstead & Woodford Association for the Blind’s Summer Party at Woodford Green Preparatory School. There was a very real family atmosphere and this was a very well organised event. I welcomed the opportunity to speak with members of the club, both blind and partially sighted.

Officers from Redbridge arranged a Charity Old School Sports Day at Cricklefields to raise funds for my Charity Appeal and the Mayoress and I were delighted to go along and support the participants.

It was great fun seeing Officers from various departments taking part in old school races amongst them an egg and spoon race, relays and a fascinating tug-of-war.

Thank you to Tom Leather of our Sport andPhysical Activity Team for organising this event and I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!

The Mayoress and I were delighted to welcome two of the Inspiration Festival Draw Winners, and their families, to the Mayor’s Parlour and to present them with their prizes.

Shourya Dhranala and Daanyal Hassan collected their prizes of a £25 Mall Voucher and Free day pass to Gym or spa and one of our Officers collected the prize on behalf of Iona Gibb.  Well done to all the winners.

Another downpour did not dampen the enthusiasm at St  Joseph’s Residential Home’s Garden Party. The home is staffed by some lovely caring people and we all enjoyed some great entertainment and a very long raffle!

I was delighted to be able to open the League of British Muslims Diversity Festival at Loxford Park. It was a fun filled event with contributions from all faiths and there was a wide variety of displays on offer.

Later that day I was lucky enough to join the Mayor of Waltham Forest and others on a Tour of the Olympic Stadium site.

The stadium is quite amazing and the huge site is very well underway. It is less than two years to the start of the Olympics and it was good to see the progress being made.

I attended the Military Vehicle Trust 70th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain event at Damyns Hall Aerodrome in Upminster and was amazed at the display of tanks planes and military equipment.

There was even a mock-up of a German U boat, fascinating.

Following the regrettably brief visit above, the Mayoress and I travelled to Maldon for their Carnival Day.

The weather was lovely and we had a nice lunch with the Town Mayor and Mayoress and other visiting Mayors in the old Town Hall, Market Hill.  After lunch we had a superb view of the procession with the local Queens and Princesses.