Competition winning photos used in new calendar to mark Lee Valley Regional Park’s 60th anniversary

Winning photos from Lee Valley Regional Park’s volunteer photography competition have been published in a 2027 calendar to mark the Park’s 60th anniversary.

The volunteers entered their images taken in the Park into one of three categories – views and landscapes, sport and leisure and nature – and the 12 best were chosen for the calendar by the Park Authority’s board members and staff.

Category winners were also judged and congratulations to David Gilbert, whose striking image of a honeybee on a yellow Gazania taken at Myddelton House Gardens was chosen as the overall winner and used on the front cover of the calendar.

The images show the diverse range of landscapes, wildlife and leisure activities on offer in the 10,000 acre Lee Valley Regional Park and beautifully illustrate each month through the seasons.

David has volunteered with the team at Myddelton House Gardens in Enfield for three years and explained how he captured the image: “I have always noticed shapes and patterns. Sometimes I sort of ‘switch on’ a photographic eye. And that bee had been on that flower for a heck of a long time. I used my smartphone, which have very good cameras now, and managed to capture three shots. This was the best one.”

Lee Valley Regional Park Authority’s Volunteers Officer Jessica Whitehead says the standard of photos this year was extremely high: “Our volunteers captured so many beautiful images, it was hard to choose just 12. But thanks to them, we’ve been able to create a calendar that captures the essence of the Park and is a great keepsake for people to have to mark its 60th year.”

David was also winner of the nature category, whilst views and landscapes category winner was Debbie Arnold for her autumnal image of Amwell Walkway in Ware and Lesley Alsford’s action photo of a canoeist tackling the Olympic level course at Lee Valley White Water Centre earned her the winner’s title in the sport and leisure category.

The calendar is now on sale for £7, with proceeds being used to support the Park’s open spaces.