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James Leal Centre
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James Leal Centre
The James Leal Centre (formally known as Ray Lodge) can be found
in Ray Park, off Snakes Lane East, Woodford Green.
The centre is a new state of the art, eco building, within Ray
Park, which was officially opened in December 2009. Located
adjacent to one of Redbridge’s premier children’s play areas,
outdoor gym, tennis and basket ball courts, it is also a good place
to start/end your walk or cycle along the River Roding ‘Roding
Valley Way’.

The Centre comprises a number of on-site facilities as
follows:
Venue hire
The Centre can be hired out for a presentation, meeting or
function. Depending on your time of function, this may
include the use of the tables and chairs, interactive whiteboard
and flipcharts for the following:
- Monday to Sunday - Kingfisher Room
- Mondays - The whole of the James Leal Centre
Public open days
Members of the public can visit the centre to use the following
facilities:
- On site café with indoor and outdoor seating
- On site toilets include a baby changing facility
- The whole of the Centre has been designed to allow access for
wheelchairs and buggies
- Interactive computers about wildlife, parks and open
spaces
- Occasional exhibitions
The Centre is open as follows:
|
James Leal Centre Opening times to the
public
|
Autumn to
Winter
|
Spring to
Summer
|
|
Tuesday to Friday
|
10am to 4.30pm
|
9.30am to 6pm
|
|
Saturday to Sunday
|
10am to 4.30pm
|
9am to 5pm
|
The Ray Park Cafe
A partnership venture between the London Borough of Redbridge
and RCHL, providing a quality café service (including catering
for parties and functions).
Menu specials are available daily, please call the café or drop
in for more information.
The café also sells a range of garden and home ornaments from
the Ellingham Skills & Enterprise Unit, made by adults with
learning disabilities.
Ray Park cafe runs as a Social Enterprise, providing employment
for adults with a learning disability. Training, work experience
and job tasters for school and college students are available.
Volunteer opportunities for those wishing to help out and gain
experience in the field of catering and social care are also
available. Please call and ask for Jane, for more information.
The café is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9.30am to dusk.
Please call the café on 020 8504 9245 for more
information.
Please note: During the summer months, the café
will be open on Mondays.
The Outdoor Classroom
All school teachers can arrange a visit
for their school children at Centre for educational purposes, for
more information or for details how to book please see the
The Outdoor Classroom page.
River Roding
The Centre is a short walk from the River
Roding providing access to some of our parks and open spaces along
the Roding Valley. You can download a copy of the map further
below.
How to get there
We would encourage all park users to be as
environmentally friendly as possible by walking or using public
transport.
The centre is located inside Ray Park, please
follow the service road, past the yellow vehicle gates, towards the
inside of the park. Note that unauthorised vehicles are
strictly prohibited from going past the yellow gates.
Please visit the Ray Park page for map
and address details'.
Parking
There are a limited number of parking spaces
in the park car park. No parking is permitted inside the park past
the yellow gates. Please note, parking
charges apply.
Tube
The nearest tube station is Woodford.
Bus
The nearest bus is the No. 275 bus.
Cycle
There is a cycle stand directly outside the
centre to allow for up to 8 bikes to park.
Public transport
Please see the Transport for London website for more
information on how to get to Ray Park.
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