The heart of Hackney

Any Hackney residents with small kids could do a lot worse to entertain them on a hot day than go to the walled garden in St John's Churchyard where we took Jed (aged 1.75) for a picnic today after helping on the Chatham Ward Labour Party tombolla stall and seeing Meg Hillier MP open the St John's Church fete.

Details are here: http://www.hackney.gov.uk/cp-st-johns.htm

A £1.79 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Groundwork East London, as well as Council funding has turned the Churchyard into a far safer, greener place than it was and the walled garden is really nice place for a picnic, with a children's play area and fountain that Jed and other toddlers turned into an impromptu paddling pool.

If you are in that part of town the other attraction in my ward (unless you are a Japanese tourist looking for the Burberry factory outlet shop in Chatham Place) is Tudor Sutton House, a National Trust property that is the oldest house in East London, about 100 yards from the Churchyard.

Tomorrow I'm venturing into the unknown territory of West London with a morning's canvassing in the Ealing Southall by-election.