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In pictures: Open Streets London in Great Suffolk Street

London SE1 website team

Great Suffolk Street was closed to motor traffic for five hours on Saturday with the aim of making space for people to use the road space in new and creative ways.

In pictures: Open Streets London in Great Suffolk Street
Cllr Darren Merrill, Cllr Maria Linforth-Hall, Open Streets Trust founder David Love and Cllr David Noakes
In pictures: Open Streets London in Great Suffolk Street
The Blackfriars Nightingales choir of older people from Blackfriars Settlement singing in the middle of Great Suffolk Street
In pictures: Open Streets London in Great Suffolk Street
In pictures: Open Streets London in Great Suffolk Street
Capoeira
In pictures: Open Streets London in Great Suffolk Street
Cumulus used Open Streets as an opportunity to test out their experimental theatre project involving chalk drawings of the globe
In pictures: Open Streets London in Great Suffolk Street
In pictures: Open Streets London in Great Suffolk Street
In pictures: Open Streets London in Great Suffolk Street
There was a programme of live music outside the Union Jack
In pictures: Open Streets London in Great Suffolk Street
The Renaissance Dancers
In pictures: Open Streets London in Great Suffolk Street
The Pop-up Parks project brought their van along
In pictures: Open Streets London in Great Suffolk Street
In pictures: Open Streets London in Great Suffolk Street
Fitness4Less hosted a free salsa class outside their gym
In pictures: Open Streets London in Great Suffolk Street

Organised by the Open Streets Trust, the event was inspired by the 'calles abiertas' events which originated in Latin America and now take place in many cities around the world.

Participating groups ranged from the Blackfriars Nightingales choir to the Renaissance Dancers, as well as beekeepers Bee Urban and the Pop-Up Parks project.

Businesses such as Terry's Cafe entered into the spirit of the event, whilst several food and drink establishments not normally open at weekends – including the White Hart – put on special menus.

The event received funding from Borough, Bankside & Walworth Community Council.

Although Saturday was billed as 'London's first Open Streets event' similar initiatives have previously been seen locally including European Car-Free Day events in The Cut 15 years ago and on Tower Bridge in 2001.

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