Hackney once would have been far from the madding crowd. It was farmland, which produced food for the Roman settlement of Londinium. Now it’s part of London and, like other boroughs, has a wealth of architectural history from medieval churches, Tudor manor houses, Georgian streets and even hidden rivers! I get excited about this kind of thing because I’m fascinated by buildings and subterranean cities. But most of all, I love the history of London. I also what you might call a people person; so when I saw an ad on Guardian Jobs looking for research and walk volunteers for the CoolTan Community Legacy Walks I signed up.

Volunteer for the Community Legacy Walks project and get some great training!

To undertake the Community Legacy Walks Training you must be willing to sign up to help with at least 3 walks between now and December. Some walks are at weekends and some are during the week, you can choose which to help with. Also, you will need a £5 refundable deposit for your place to be confirmed.

Meetings and walks are Tuesdays 12-3pm in Hackney. Some walks take place at weekends.
Contact clara@cooltanarts.org.uk or ring 0207 701 2696 to find out more.

Walk Leader Training
Wednesday 3rd October, 6–8pm at CoolTan Arts
Thursday 11th October, 10am-3pm at CoolTan Arts

Assertiveness Training
Wednesday 17th October, 3–5pm at CoolTan Arts

Public Speaking Training
Wednesday 24th October, 2.30–4.30 pm at The Centre for Better Health, 1A Darnley Road, London, E9 6QH

Place: Hackney Museum at the Café tables, 1 Reading Lane, E8 1GQ
Time: 12noon – 3pm

Missed out on Olympic and Paralympic tickets? Never mind!

Come along to our FREE walks, share your stories , learn all about the area, mental health history, the history of the games and catch a glimpse of the stadium from the green and pleasent spaces of Victoria park. All planned and run by volunteers.

Upcoming walks …

Tuesday 16th October
Tuesday 30th October
Saturday 24th November
Tuesday 4th December

Meet at Hackney Museum, 12noon at the Café tables. Walks finish at Hackney Wick station approx 3pm but you can leave earlier.

On Saturday 18th August, the Community Legacy Walks project and CoolTan Arts Largactyl Shuffle joined forces to run the Games Walk, from Hackney Museum to Victoria Park. Here are some images from the day. Check back soon for a full review.

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Photo Credit: Jez C Self

Upcoming Dates: Friday 7th September, Sunday 16th September, Tuesday 18th September, Tuesday 16th October
Starting: Hackney Museum main entrance, 1 Reading Lane, E8 1GQ
Times: 12 noon – 3.30pm
Cost: free

Discover hidden histories, share your stories, explore art, culture and mental health history with CoolTan Arts Community Legacy Walks. Meet new friends, get healthier and be part of the excitement around the Olympics and Paralympics!

Learn more about the history of Hackney’s psychiatric hospitals, the open spaces of Victoria Park (the “people’s park”), Hackney Marshes and the river Lea and the rich history of non conformism in Hackney.

Meet at 12 noon outside Hackney Museum main entrance (across the square from the Empire, buses stop on Mare Street.) Our friendly guides will be there to meet you.

It’s difficult to fully convey the richness of the Cool Tan Arts Community Legacy Walk I went on with some colleagues on Tuesday 10 June.
The route taken, from Hackney Museum eastwards through the borough and concluding on the fringes on the Olympic park (where lingering and casually holding cameras is received with a distinct air of distrust), gave a cross section of Hackney’s history, people, and the different urban forms that characterise the borough.

Each of the guides who joined us brought something unique and informative – be it the history of a school or churchyard, their own memories of places from years before, or their opinions and expectations about the rapid changes taking place in Hackney.

Upcoming Dates: Tuesday 7th, Tuesday 14th, Saturday 18th, Tuesday 28th August  Starting: Hackney Museum main entrance, 1 Reading Lane, E8 1GQ
Times: 12 noon – 3.30pm
Cost: free

Discover hidden histories, share your stories, explore art, culture and mental health history with CoolTan Arts Community Legacy Walks. Meet new friends, get healthier and be part of the excitement around the Olympics and Paralympics!

Learn more about the history of Hackney’s psychiatric hospitals, the open spaces of Victoria Park (the “people’s park”), Hackney Marshes and the river Lea and the rich history of non conformism in Hackney.

Meet at 12 noon outside Hackney Museum main entrance (across the square from the Empire, buses stop on Mare Street.) Our friendly guides will be there to meet you. Please wear sensible footwear, bring a bottle of water and some sandwiches.

The walk will end at Hackney Wick station.

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Photo Credit: Jez C Self

It’s difficult to fully convey the richness of the Cool Tan Arts Community Legacy Walk I went on, with some colleagues, on Tuesday 10 June. The route taken, from Hackney Museum eastwards through the borough and concluding on the fringes on the Olympic park (where lingering and casually holding cameras is received with a distinct air of distrust) gave a cross section of Hackney’s history, people, and the different urban forms that characterise the borough. Each of the guides who joined us brought something unique and informative – be it the history of a school or churchyard, their own memories of places from years before, or their opinions and expectations about the rapid changes taking place in Hackney.

Walks start from outside Hackney Museum, 1 Reading Lane, E8 1GQ (nearest bus stop Mare Street, Underground: Hackney Central)

Walks last approximately 3.5 hours and end in the vicinity of the Olympic Park. Walkers must take responsibility for making their own way home. Please wear sensible footwear and bring your own packed lunch and water to drink.

Upcoming Walk Dates:

June 2012

Tuesday 12^th, Friday 22^nd, Saturday 30^th

July 2012

Tuesday 10^th, Saturday 21^st, Tuesday 24^{th, Sunday 29th}

August 2012

Tuesday 7^th, Tuesday 14^th, Saturday 18^th, Tuesday 28^th

September 2012

Sunday 2^nd, Friday 7^th, Sunday 16^th, Tuesday 18^th

October 2012

Tuesday 16^th, Tuesday 3oth

November 2012

Saturday 24^th

December

Tuesday 4th

Walking is always good for talking. Being rhythmic, it sparks off ideas and makes space for shared thoughts to sit ‘in the air’.

On Tuesday, 8 to 10 of us met outside Hackney Museum on a gloriously sunny May afternoon, to get to know the area and each other. We embarked on a potted tour of Hackney and Hackney Wick, guided by local residents. Along the way, we stopped when people had stories about particular buildings, from old churches and psychiatric hospitals, to bridge sculptures and snazzy new Olympic venues.

CoolTan Arts Community Legacy walks provide a great opportunity to discover hidden histories, share your stories, explore art, culture and mental health history and meet new friends whilst getting healthier and becoming part of the excitement around the Olympics and Paralympics.

We need you to help make this happen!
Gain new skills or build on existing ones, have fun, and volunteer in a safe and supportive environment … and get free training!

The weekly walk meetings take place in locations around Hackney every Tuesday 12pm-3pm and extra hours may be available with a computer from home or at the CoolTan Arts building in South London.

This was our first official walk.  Although it wasn’t as warm as earlier in the week, the cool and dry climate proved to be a perfect day for walking!

We started off from the Hackney Museum, walked past some of Hackney’s major architectural buildings such as Hackney Town Hall, Hackney Empire Building, through the bustling high street; where we stopped at the St John churchyard gardens.  This calm green space right in the heart of Hackney is very popular with the locals. As it happened to be a Saturday; the “Hackney homemade market” was also taking place.

Join us for a free guided walk!

Saturday 31st March
Starting: Hackney Museum main entrance, 1 Reading Lane, E8 1GQ
Times: 12noon – 3.30pm
Cost: free

Discover hidden histories, share your stories, explore art, culture and mental health history with CoolTan Arts Community Legacy Walks. Meet new friends, get healthier and be part of the excitement around the Olympics and Paralympics!

Our walks are organised and run by volunteers.

Meet at 12 noon outside Hackney Museum main entrance (Across the square from the Empire, buses stop on Mare Street.) Our friendly guides will be there to meet you.

Please wear sensible footwear, bring a bottle of water and some sandwiches.

Opportunity to get involved with CoolTan Arts Community Legacy walks

Run in partnership with Centre for Better Health and Hackney Museum.

Interested in Volunteering and gaining new skills? Love walking?

• Want to explore and re-discover East London?
• We welcome disabled volunteers, all walks are accessible.
• Want to help uncover hidden histories?

Then this project is for you!

Join us to celebrate the legacy of 2012, re-discover the area, uncover green spaces, and share your stories old and new that reflect Olympic and Paralympic values

Take advantage of free Accredited and non-accredited training: Walk Leader Training, First Aid, Mental Health First Aid, Public Speaking and Story-telling.

An exciting urban exploration walk of the area where the Olympics and Paralympics will take place in 2012. During the walk we discovered the place, people and local community, a brilliant afternoon with lovely people. One walker said: ” This walk made me realise what the Olympics are all about and I discovered a new area in London. The walk leaders were brilliant, I learned a lot. I’ll come again!”

Photos by Brigitte Flock

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Saturday 23 July 2011, 12:00 noon at Hackney Museum, 1 Reading Lane, London, E8 1GQ

Join CoolTan Arts for an urban exploration walk of the area where the Olympics and Paralympics will take place in 2012; find out about the place, people and local community, and celebrate the Games and Olympic values and what they bring to the local community and the everyday lives of the people living in the Olympic boroughs.

Experience the clash between the former industrial area and the funky artistic area that Hackney has become, and how it has changed with the preparations and construction for London 2012.