When I tell people I work in Regents Park their first reaction is 'do you work as a park ranger?' and so I then have to explain that the park actually hosts the largest outdoor sports facility in Central London - The Hub.
If you have ever walked through The Regent's Park on a Saturday morning during winter you will have seen the park full of people. During most weekends in the winter season the sports facilities at The Hub are used by over 3000 people including: football, rugby and lacrosse teams, as well as by people enjoying a leisurely run around the running track.
The Hub offers a range of opportunities for the public to participate in sport and physical activity and within my role as Active Sports Officer I deliver or am involved in providing many of these services. One of the main ways people can be involved in activities at The Hub is through our Exercise Classes which include: yoga, pilates and power stretch. I also deliver a class for new mums, people with learning disabilities and a free health walk, which means I am able to be very active which is one of my favourite parts of my role. We are also a venue for the Westminster Exercise Referral Scheme which means we provide exercise programmes for people whom have been prescribed exercise by a health profession. Through this scheme I get to meet a diverse range of people and it is very rewarding to see the progress they make.
Throughout 2012 The Regent's Park hosted over 50 different school and charity events and The Hub team worked closely with the event organisers. As part of these events we were lucky enough to have The FA Cup visit, members of the New Zealand Rugby Team and the St Louis Rams NFL team delivering coaching sessions as well as Mark Cavendish using our changing facilities and yes he did actually ride his bike through The Hub front doors!
I have enjoyed working at The Royal Parks throughout the Olympic and Paralympic year and look forward to seeing what 2013 will bring.
