Start summer at the Cemetery Park

AS SUMMER is officially here – meteorologically speaking – and with Covid restrictions easing, Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park is offering lots of open air activities for friends and families to enjoy.  Here are the highlights: for more information about these events and/or the Park in general and/or the many volunteering opportunities, go to the Friends’ website:
The Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park

Yoga in the Cemetery Park
Is it late afternoon or early evening? Whatever you want to call it, there’s an hour’s yoga on offer from 6pm every Thursday, starting on 17th June. The sessions will be led by Sally Ramsden, a “Yoga Campus trained teacher specialising in mindful yoga and nature connection for wellbeing and for stress relief”.
The sessions cost £10.  If that level of outlay stresses you out too much to do outdoors yoga, you can always view Sandi Brock’s “How I Lamb Yoga (A Mother’s Day Wish)” suggestions here:
Sandi Brock – Lamb Yoga

Cow Parsley
The cow parsley is out all over the Park at the moment. Why not drop in for a walk round and see this common English plant in all its glory?

London Marathon
This year’s London Marathon will be run on 3rd October. Andrew regularly enjoys the Park, which he sees as a “really special place for me to exercise and unwind.” Now he is running the Marathon to raise money for his favourite bit of open space in East London.  Find out how to support his fundraising effort on the Friends’ website.

Forest Bathing
The Japanese know how to enjoy a wooded area, and forest bathing has borrowed from their practice of Shinrin-yoku to develop this slow, sensory woodland walk, with sensory exercises and an emphasis on mindfulness which help you connect with nature and disconnect from the stresses of everyday life. The sessions take place on various dates from 6th June. They are for over-18s only and are free – but you will need to book a ticket.

Cemetery Investigators
This special session takes place on Friday, 11th June, from 12.30pm to 3.30pm and is suitable for those aged 11 upwards.  It will be led by Claire, the Park’s Heritage Officer, and participants will join her in investigating the “stories of the East End” as told by the headstones.  The cost is £15: if you are interested, go to the Park’s website and book early to avoid disappointment.

The Women of Tower Hamlets Cemetery
This special session takes place on Friday, 11th June, from 7-8.15pm. It’s a virtual session which will be held on Zoom.  The session will be led by public and cemetery historian Sheldon K. Goodman, who has been researching the women buried in the Park and the lives they led before coming to rest in the Cemetery. The cost is £15: if you are interested, go to the Park’s website and book early to avoid disappointment.

Earth celebrations
This year’s celebration, led by local resident Mandy Lui, takes place on Monday, 21st June – the summer solstice – from 6-8pm.

●Read more stories about Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park:
Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park