Formidable history: the Crystal Palace towered over south London for more than 70 years – here, it is pictured in around 1935, the year before it was engulfed in a terrible fire

There is to be a “Festival of Park Talks” and a volunteer fair in Crystal Palace Park on Saturday June 14.

Suitable for children and adults, the day includes talks about the park’s history from local experts.

There will be stalls from various community and charity organisations offering volunteer opportunities, and there’s free refreshments, snacks and delicious vegetarian and vegan small bites on offer.

The organisations taking part include Bromley Borough Food Bank; Bromley Well Young Carers; Croydon and Lambeth Foodbank; Crystal Palace Museum; SEND Support Southwark; Friends of Crystal Palace Dinosaurs; Friends of Crystal Palace Park; Invisible Palace; Park Run Crystal Palace and Junior Park Run; and St John’s Ambulance.

There are to be “quizzes and fun activities for children and adults”.

The day will also be seeking to support local food banks: those attending are asked to bring non-perishable foods and personal hygiene products to donate on the day.

The Festival and fair are free to attend, but the organisers at the Crystal Palace Park Trust say that “talks must be booked in advance due to seating availability on the stage”.

The programme of talks looks like this:

• 11.15: The Great Exhibition and the Crystal Palace, Crystal Palace Foundation
• 11.40: The birth of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs, Friends of Crystal Palace Dinosaurs
• 12.05: The 1854 Crystal Palace in Virtual Reality (session 1), Crystal Palace Museum
• 12.30: Music at the Crystal Palace, Crystal Palace Foundation
• 12.55: The creatures in detail – then and now, Friends of Crystal Palace Dinosaurs
• 1.20: The Indies and the Crystal Palace, Crystal Palace Museum
• 1.45: Crystal Palace stories/anecdotes, Crystal Palace Foundation
• 2.10: The history of the Dinosaurs , 1853-present, Friends of Crystal Palace Dinosaurs
• 2.35: The 1854 Crystal Palace in Virtual Reality (session 2), Crystal Palace Museum

The day’s activities run from 11am to 3pm at the Concert Platform.

• For more information, and to book in for any of the talks, click here

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

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