From Olympic Legacy to Community Adventure: Paskell Blackwell on the Impact of Lee Valley White Water Centre

Paskell Blackwell, now Sport and Active Recreation Officer at the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, moved to North London in 2010 to help launch Lee Valley White Water Centre. Joining at a pivotal moment, he was part of a three-person senior management team tasked with preparing the venue for its public opening in April 2011, an ambitious milestone set a full year ahead of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Opening early made the centre the only purpose built Olympic venue available to the public before the Games, and it quickly captured attention. For many visitors, it was their first opportunity to experience white water rafting, right on their doorstep in London.

Reflecting on that period, Paskell recalls the extraordinary level of public interest: “It was the only custom built Olympic venue to be opened before the 2012 games and as such we saw huge interest from people visiting the venue and an unparalleled interest in people wanting to go rafting on its huge white water rapid definitely a first for London.

The venue has since established itself as world class, hosting a wide range of top tier international events. However, for Paskell, its real impact lies in its accessibility and community value: “The venue is World class as can be seen from the number of top tier international events that have been hosted there but what I love most is that next to the world class athletes at these events will be local community groups sharing the lake and rapids. 

“Whether that be amateurs testing their skills against the same rapids or total beginners trying kayaking or rafting for the first time in a fun friendly environment. With live music, great walks, views and events this venue is a key piece of the local community and offers something for everyone to enjoy.

“I currently work helping people access the venue and activities that would never normally get the chance to try something like white water rafting down class 4 white water. The more we open people's eyes to how special this venue is, the more we build on the legacy that has been created since those amazing days back in 2012.”