London Inc. Winter 2021-22 - 32

10 Minutes With
REOPENING AND REIMAGINING
Kyla Woodcock, founder of the Forest City Sport & Social Club
and Woodlo Productions, chats about sitting on the pandemic
sidelines, creating new traditions and rallying to give back
KYLA WOODCOCK CREATED Forest City Sport & Social Club (www.
fcssc.ca) in 2009, kept its heart beating during the pandemic, and is now
resuscitating it - to the delight of its many fans and participants. At its height,
the organization employed more than 20 people and organized an almost
limitless variety of sports, social events and leagues for hundreds of active
members.
" We're expecting to return to that same size by early next year, " says
Woodcock, who moved to London from Stratford 16 years ago. After getting
a BA at the University of Waterloo, she earned her MBA at Ivey. She and
husband, Paul, have three daughters, one cat and one dog.
The last family trip was a Disney cruise, which wrapped up just as the
pandemic arrived. Trips to Portugal and Belize didn't happen, but a recent
weekend in Quebec City scratched their travel itch to some degree. When
not travelling, she likes to wander antique and flea markets, looking for items
to inspire home renovation projects.
Londoners know you from FCSSC. Your new venture
is kicking things off with the Magic of Lights.
What is Woodlo Productions? I started Woodlo
Productions earlier this year, when Covid restrictions
sidelined the Forest City Sport & Social Club. For a long
time, I've wanted to bring large, family-friendly events to
our community that are all about having fun and giving
back. So that's what Woodlo Productions will do. We
plan to do a few really great events each year, all of which
will be celebratory and support local non-profits in some
way. Magic of Lights, Woodlo Production's first event, is
a two-kilometre drive-through holiday light experience.
We have turned the Longwoods Road Conservation area,
just minutes south of London, into a winter wonderland
with over a million LED lights and animated displays.
Magic of Lights is open seven days a week in the evening,
from November 19 until January 2. One ticket per
carload. It promises to be the holiday event of the season
and a great new tradition for families in our community.
You've always connected your work to charitable
causes. The Magic Lights will support United Way,
right? Right! A portion of the proceeds from all tickets
sold will go to United Way Elgin Middlesex to support
continued investment in poverty reduction, affordable
32 | londonincmagazine.ca | WINTER 2022
housing and mental health services for children and
families right here in our community.
Obviously, FCSSC was dealt a huge blow by the
pandemic. How did you keep it alive? For much
of 2020 and early 2021, FCSSC was not able to operate
because social gatherings and playing team sports were
not permitted under public health regulations. FCSSC
was fortunate to avoid most variable costs during Covid
and to qualify for some of the government funding that
was offered to businesses hit hard by the pandemic. My
team was very supportive, agreeing to take time off until
restrictions were lifted. Our members accepted the
credits that we offered toward future play and sent us
wonderful messages of support. And we worked really
hard to deliver programming that complied with all
health regulations through the various stages of Covid
recovery.
We played exclusively outdoors and introduced activities
that allowed for physical distancing and small group
sizes, like Yoga Under the Trees, Crossnet and Lawn
Games. And when it was permitted, we brought back
some outdoor team sports with rule modifications that
promoted physical distancing. Now, we have welcomed
the double vaccination requirements and returned to
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London Inc. Winter 2021-22

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