Schoolchildren from east London found out where food comes from when they had a taste of the countryside at Lee Valley Regional Park.

East London Advertiser: Getting to grips with the countryside... Cubitt Town Infants at Lee Valley Regional Park schools event. Picture: Eleanor BentallGetting to grips with the countryside... Cubitt Town Infants at Lee Valley Regional Park schools event. Picture: Eleanor Bentall (Image: Eleanor Bentall)

They turned up from Cubitt Town Infants and Bethnal Green’s Chisenhale Primary for the ‘Countryside Live’ school event which brought rural life to the urban environment, held recently at Leyton Marshes.

The pupils saw falconry displays, a dog agility show and had activities like willow-weaving, woodworking and hunting for “mini beasts” like bats, bees, snakes and otters, while also spending time with farmyard animals including dray horses pulling a brewery wagon.

“They got a taste of outdoor learning,” Lee Valley Park’s Karen Wheeler said. “The children left with a better understanding of where their food comes from, how life in the countryside works and the wildlife that make it their home.”

The two-day ‘Countryside Live’ event has been running every year since 2002 at the 26-mile long Lee Valley Park with its riverside trails and nature reserves which are free and open to the public all year round.