Hundreds of local children enjoy healthy food demonstrations at Picnic in the Park 2025

Picnic in the Park has become a staple in the summer holiday schedule for Chelmsford’s Melbourne neighbourhood, and this year it was more entertaining than ever!

Families played games, watched cooking demonstrations, and did arts and crafts at Picnic in the Park.

The event, run by Chelmsford City Council, provided free, nutritious lunches alongside lots of fun activities for children aged three to 11 years old. As well as enjoying classic Picnic in the Park entertainment like rock climbing, dancing and bouncy castles, children were invited to take part in cooking demonstrations and fruit and veg tastings, to help them learn about nutrition and even inspire them to cook at home.

Nutrition-based entertainment was a new addition this summer

Cooking demonstrations and fruit and veg tastings were provided by Felicitous Foodology.

The fourth annual Play in the Park took place in Melbourne Park from Monday 28 July to Friday 1 August, and featured entertainment from Felicitous Foodology, specialists in in-school nutrition education. Throughout the week, founder Leyla Kandemir provided cookery demonstration workshops to showcase the benefits of cooking from scratch at home, and stirred up excitement with goodie bags containing ingredients and recipe cards

Linda Montague, who attended Picnic in the Park with her granddaughters, said the demonstrations have inspired two budding chefs:

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“Thank you so much for the cooking event - my granddaughters Lilly and Sienna were excited to cook for their mum and dad this evening using the bag of ingredients you supplied. They were very proud of their achievements!”

Linda Montague, Picnic in the Park attendee

As well as demonstrations, Leyla also hosted fruit and veg tastings, to introduce children to new foods and highlight the importance of eating their 5 A Day. Over 150 children joined in, and many were brave enough to try new vegetables!

1,372 children attended free entertainment sessions

Picnic in the Park always provides an exciting mix of entertainment alongside its daily provision of supervised arts and crafts sessions, giant board games and group sport activities.

There was lots of entertainment to keep attendees busy!

Each day of the week had a different theme: Monday’s ‘balloons and bubbles’ theme meant balloon modelling and an inflatable play park; Tuesday’s ‘animals’ theme saw a dinosaur assault course and a very popular visit from Essex Therapy Dogs; Wednesday was all about ‘wheels and movement’, with Hot Wheels inflatables, a Parkour course and rock climbing wall; Thursday saw Melbourne Park full of ‘pirates and princesses’; then on Friday it transformed into a ‘circus’, with face painting and fun fair games.

Chelmsford City Council partners also attended to engage with local residents and get to know the people of Melbourne. Throughout the week, Picnic in the Park welcomed officers from Essex Police, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, Essex Libraries, Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service and local housing provider, Chelmer Housing Partnership. 

Councillor Natacha Dudley, Cabinet Member for an Active Chelmsford, said Picnic in the Park is a fantastic resource for residents in Melbourne and nearby:

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“Picnic in the Park, like Play in the Park which runs across Chelmsford district throughout the school holidays, aims to provide free entertainment for families and encourage children to get outside and stay active over these long six weeks. The council’s Community Sport and Wellbeing team always do a fantastic job of providing amazing entertainment to keep the children of Melbourne entertained!

“This week of Picnic in the Park is extra special, as it helps lighten the burden for those parents who rely on free school meals for their children. Five days of free, nutritious meals – plus the added food workshops and goodie bags – are a great help to those families.”

Councillor Natacha Dudley, Cabinet Member for an Active Chelmsford

249 free lunches provided across five days

Throughout the week, 249 free lunches were provided to children from low-income families. Each day, children entitled to free school meals were given a wristband that let the event’s caterers know they were eligible for a free meal.

Alongside the free lunches provided, there were also food and drink options available to purchase for anyone not entitled to a free meal who didn’t fancy bringing their own picnic.

A huge thank you to all the food and entertainment providers who contributed to the success of this year’s Picnic in the Park. And thanks also to our wonderful team of Playworkers, who supervised play and kept everyone entertained for five very busy, very warm days!

We hope to see you all again next year!

Picnic in the Park may be over for 2025, but if you’re looking for ways to entertain the kids during the school holidays, take a look at our Play in the Park schedule. These sessions are taking place across the district up until Friday 22 August.