THOUSANDS of people turned out to witness the official reopening of a park following its £5m revamp last weekend.

Friends and families spent the day in Lloyd Park enjoying the restored gardens, refurbished tennis and basketball courts as well as a new playground and William Morris Garden on Saturday.

The grand reopening also featured live music, while youngsters tried out the new skatepark and visitors bought refreshments in the new cafe, community room and art gallery at the Aveling Centre in the park off Forest Road, Walthamstow.

The chair of the Friends of Lloyd Park, Adrian Stannard, said: "It was an excellent day, it was a lot of fun. The skate park proved very successful and the cafe attracted a lot of people.

"There's still a way to go, for instance the pond still needs work, but the council has done very well."

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