The giant motif on Mabley Green

A declaration of love for Hackney greeted visitors to a Homerton park this morning.

A giant ‘I Love Hackney’ logo was spray painted on the grass on Mabley Green by Hackney Council to coincide with the Olympics.

The 60 x 46 metre lettering is perfectly positioned to be seen from the Arcelor Mittal Orbit in the Olympic Park and from news helicopters broadcasting the Games to the world.

It took two people around 10 hours to paint the logo in pitch paint and the council hopes it will last the length of the Games.

Cllr Jonathan McShane, Cabinet Member for Culture, said: “We’re making the very most of our status as an Olympic host and we want to entice people from all over the world to learn about Hackney, to visit us and to invest here.

“The ‘I Love Hackney’ campaign is about celebrating everything that people love about the borough.

“We want TV cameras to beam pictures of the symbol that has become synonymous with pride about Hackney all across the world.”

The logo is worn on bags, badges and t-shirts which are part of a campaign begun in 2006 following a Channel 4 property programme that branded Hackney the worst place to live in the UK.

Hackney Museum responded with an ‘I Love Hackney’ exhibition which saw local celebrities talk about what they liked about the area.