We’ve got a very exciting year ahead at the park and, as usual, there are lots of ways for Newham residents to get involved.

If you made a promise to be more active this year, what better place to do it than the iconic surroundings of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park? And what better event than the inspiring Sport Relief? Join thousands of people on March 20 and walk, run, swim or cycle to raise money for charity – and you could even spot a star or two as you head round the course.

Money raised from the Sport Relief Mile, Swimathon and Cycle will help transform people’s lives across the UK and in the world’s poorest communities. This includes projects like Fight for Peace, which uses boxing and martial arts combined with education and personal development to realise the potential of young people in Newham. I’m looking forward to dusting off my trainers and joining the thousands of runners. Time to get training… Visit sportrelief.com for information.

Talking of training, the Rio 2016 Games are now only a few months away, and you can see some fantastic elite sport on the park in the next few months as athletes prepare.

In March, the Lee Valley VeloPark will see the world’s top track cyclists return to the Velodrome to compete in the UCI Track World Championships, and then in May the London Aquatics Centre will host the European Aquatics Championships.

June sees the GB women’s hockey team go head to head with other Olympic hopefuls, and then Usain Bolt, the world’s fastest man, returns to the London Anniversary Games in July.

Before all this, AC/DC will be the first band to perform at the transformed stadium, before West Ham United play their first match in their new home. What an incredible range of events right here in Newham.