news release
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Monday 23rd July
Mayor welcomes 300 events across London for National Park City Week
More than 300 events exploring, enjoying and celebrating green spaces, parks and rivers are taking place across the capital for the first ever London National Park City Week (July 21st to July 29th).
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, working with the National Park City Foundation, is supporting hundreds of family-friendly events. Organised by community and art groups, charities, boroughs and businesses, the range of events demonstrate the wide breadth of support to ‘green the grey’ and improve and maintain our green spaces to help make London the world’s first National Park City.
National Park City Week gives everyone the opportunity to get out more and explore the city’s hidden green gems, footpaths and waterways. The majority of events are free, but may need to be booked in advance, with some requiring a small entry fee. The full list of events and booking information can be found at www.london.gov.uk/events/2018-07-21/london-national-park-city-week-events-2018
Key activities include:
- Foodies will like the orchard foraging walk and wild food celebration, on the 29 July in Blondin Park Community Orchard, in Ealing. Visitors will walk around the orchard and surrounding nature reserve collecting wild foods along the way which will be cooked for a BBQ.
- The Royal Horticultural Society, working with The National Trust and Wayward, are giving away free plants on 27 and 28 July from the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show.
- Londoners can win prizes by visiting parks and sharing a photo on social media by uploading images with the hashtag #GoParksLondon on Twitter.
- Pond dipping and insect hunting is offered at the Greenwich Ecology Park Wild on 25 July. Whilst Sydenham Hill Wood, on 26 July, explores bees, butterflies, dragonflies, beetles, bugs and slugs.
- Sports enthusiasts will enjoy Go Islington!, on 27 July, in Highbury Fields with more than 20 different sports including: cycling, football, basketball, tennis, rugby, handball and badminton. There will be a marquee for 13-19 year olds including music and dancing and fun nature-themed activities.
- Fans of the river can join a two-hour guided stand-up paddling tour on the Thames, starting at Kew Bridge, with a green emphasis and close encounters of the natural kind.
- During the current spell of warm weather our much-loved parks and green spaces are some of the best places to enjoy the sunshine. The Mayor wants to use the National Park City initiative to retain London’s status as one of the greenest cities in the worlds, rich in wildlife, and ensure everyone has access to green spaces, clean air and waterways. The Mayor’s ambition is to make more than half of the capital green by 2050 and to help achieve this he is inviting Londoners to get involved. Londoners can pledge to take at least one simple action to make London greener at www.london.gov.uk/grow, including:
- Planting flowers in gardens and community spaces to help attract more bees
- Growing fruit and vegetables in gardens, allotments, or community gardens
- Helping count and monitor local wildlife such as hedgehogs and butterflies
- De-paving gardens – half of London’s front gardens are paved over
- Discovering London’s amazing outdoors through National Park City events
City Hall is working with partners to co-ordinate a weekend of large scale National Park City tree-planting events across London later in the autumn, as well as helping Londoners run their own community events, and giving away free tree packs. The weekend will enable volunteers to join planting events with hundreds of others in green spaces across London.
Today the Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy, Shirley Rodrigues, joined families on a ‘Smell and Touch Safari’ in Mary Geraldine Harmsworth Park in Southwark, where Londoners got to experience wildlife and nature in a unique and creative way, through senses.
Shirley Rodrigues said: “The Mayor is determined to make London one of the greenest cities on the planet and National Park City Week is a fantastic way for Londoners of all ages to celebrate, explore and get involved with our many outstanding parks and green spaces. We can all take simple actions to help make London greener and I hope as many people as possible are able to enjoy this week’s events.”
Director of Visitor Engagement at the London Wildlife Trust, Leah McNally, said: “We are very pleased to be supporting London National Park City Week which will inspire even more Londoners to get out into the capital's green spaces to experience wildlife and nature in our city. London Wildlife Trust will be delivering a series of unique nature-themed events at many of our reserves across London.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
1, To view all London National Park City Week events visit www.london.gov.uk/events/2018-07-21/london-national-park-city-week-events-2018
2, The Mayor is working with partners across London, to set criteria for a National Park City, which will include:
• Protecting and increasing the amount of green space in the capital
• Increasing access to green spaces for Londoners of all ages, particularly in areas where there is currently a deficiency
• Increasing the quality of green spaces, ensuring they are well maintained and create healthy habitats for wildlife
• Valuing London green spaces, accounting for the health, environmental, social and economic benefits it brings to London