When I tell people I work in Regents Park their first reaction is 'do you work as a park ranger?' and so I then have to explain that the park actually hosts the largest outdoor sports facility in Central London - The Hub.
If you have ever walked through The Regent's Park on a Saturday morning during winter you will have seen the park full of people. During most weekends in the winter season the sports facilities at The Hub are used by over 3000 people including: football, rugby and lacrosse teams, as well as by people enjoying a leisurely run around the running track.
The Hub offers a range of opportunities for the public to participate in sport and physical activity and within my role as Active Sports Officer I deliver or am involved in providing many of these services. One of the main ways people can be involved in activities at The Hub is through our Exercise Classes which include: yoga, pilates and power stretch. I also deliver a class for new mums, people with learning disabilities and a free health walk, which means I am able to be very active which is one of my favourite parts of my role. We are also a venue for the Westminster Exercise Referral Scheme which means we provide exercise programmes for people whom have been prescribed exercise by a health profession. Through this scheme I get to meet a diverse range of people and it is very rewarding to see the progress they make.
Throughout 2012 The Regent's Park hosted over 50 different school and charity events and The Hub team worked closely with the event organisers. As part of these events we were lucky enough to have The FA Cup visit, members of the New Zealand Rugby Team and the St Louis Rams NFL team delivering coaching sessions as well as Mark Cavendish using our changing facilities and yes he did actually ride his bike through The Hub front doors!
I have enjoyed working at The Royal Parks throughout the Olympic and Paralympic year and look forward to seeing what 2013 will bring.
Keeping our precious heritage
The Royal Parks manages over 2000 hectares of precious green space in London and the ecological quality of the parks and other green spaces we manage enriches and benefits all of London; rather like the global benefits we all get from tropical rainforests.
In the ecology team we work to help our colleagues to conserve and enhance these precious environments. In order to understand how to manage the parks better and to monitor progress, with the help of skilled volunteers, conduct regular surveys. Our records show that the varied habitats across The Royal Parks support at least 5148 species of plants, animals and fungi, which includes around 418 species of conservation importance.
The challenge
Within the parks are a large number of ponds, lakes and streams, and they are among the most challenging types of habitats to work with.
Feeding ducks, geese and other waterfowl is, for many, synonymous with a trip to the park, but an unintended consequence is that uneaten food can create a nutrient-rich sludge in the water. When added to by the excretions from the birds it is a recipe for the rapid growth of algae which is unsightly, ecologically damaging and a potential health hazard to animals and humans.
Once a lake or pond gets into this state, it is very hard to fix it without draining and de-silting - a massive operation!
Another problem is invasive exotic plants or animals, like carp or terrapins which can have a negative impact on aquatic wildlife..
As a result of these issues, almost all current projects involve work to control invasive plants or animals and to get nutrient levels down. Reedbeds and other vegetation are now often added around the edges of the lakes to help absorb some of the excess nutrients in the water.
Floating and underwater plants can also help limit the growth of algae, while providing a habitat for many kinds of invertebrates, birds and amphibians.
2013 improvement projects
As I write this blog we can be proud of having a number of projects to improve water bodies in the parks in various stages of progress. All are the result of teamwork with our colleagues and external partners.
In Greenwich Park, the Flower Garden Lake has over the last year been renovated and replanted in partnership with the charity Froglife. This project, funded by Biffaward, also created a new small pond to provide a 'stepping stone' for amphibians between the lake and another small pond nearby.
Bushy and Richmond Parks have benefitted from work with Froglife (funded by the SITA Trust), to create enhanced wetland areas to help conserve Great Crested Newts.
In The Regent's Park, also thanks to funding from the SITA Trust, we drained the lake in Queen Mary's Gardens and used the silt to create new areas for reeds and other water's edge planting. A fine boardwalk has also been built so that when the reed-beds mature, visitors will be able to get right in amongst the wildlife.
There is also ongoing work is to de-silt, create a new reedbed plus water's edge planting and stream enhancements in Richmond Park's Isabella Plantation. This project sits alongside a separate initiative with the Friends of Richmond Park who are raising money to fund an extensive programme of pond and stream enhancements and the control of invasive plants. Works so far have included the creation of the entirely new Jubilee Pond in Richmond Park, funded by Healthy Planet and supported by Sir David Attenborough.
Finally we have been working on a new partnership project with Thames21, The Wandle Trust, The London Wildlife Trust, the Environment Agency and others to enhance the ecological quality of the Beverley Brook, which runs for 2km through Richmond Park. If we are successful this will be a major project with benefits for the entire river catchment.
It is hard to believe that just four months ago St James's Park, which saw a whole range of Olympic and Paralympic events including the Beach Volleyball and Marathon competitions, hosted two venues on Horse Guards Parade Ground and The Mall. Spectators and visitors from across the globe came to the park to enjoy watching world class athletes and to soak up what proved to be an electric atmosphere. The park was also the chosen location for the 'Our Greatest Team Parade', a celebration for Team GB and ParalympicsGB.
For a number of years in the run up to the London 2012 Games, The Royal Parks and the St James's Park Management team worked closely with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) to develop the venue and reinstatement plans. Our main priority throughout was to ensure that the impact of each venue and event on the park was kept to a minimum. After LOCOG had removed the last venue structures, our team of contractors got to work restoring the park to its former glory and reopening as much of it as possible. The majority of the park, including all paths and roads, is open to visitors.
By the end of November all of the turfing and seeding was completed on schedule. The recently restored areas have been temporarily cordoned off to allow the grass to establish. This means that about half of the grassed areas in the park are currently fenced off and will not be open to the public during the New Year. We really appreciate the support of park visitors in allowing these newly restored areas of grass time to grow and thrive.
In spring 2013, when the grass is strong enough, we will start removing the fencing and visitors will be able to walk throughout the park by Easter. By April we are confident that the park will be in even better condition than it was before the Games.
Find out more about our reinstatement progress in St James's Park.
What does Christmas mean to you? Well, so far I've been hitting the shops and heading to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park to celebrate the arrival of December; a festive month full of family and fun! After buying yet another pair of earrings from the Christmas market, I stop to admire the Christmas lights and decorations and realise that I'm missing one of the most essential "Christmassy things": my beautiful fresh tree!
So if like me you are buying your tree this weekend, why not head over to a Royal Park and visit Pines and Needles, where you can take your pick from a large selection of trees available in a variety of shapes, sizes and prices.
Richmond Park - Roehampton Gate Car Park
Bushy Park - Diana Car Park
Greenwich Park - Bower Avenue next to Black Heath Lodge
I am going to Bushy Park on Saturday and am planning to buy a small one (I say this every year). I am thinking of selecting a Nordmann fir tree that has soft needles so I don't hurt my fingers when removing the chocolates, but who knows I may change my mind by Saturday. Whichever tree I choose, I'm looking forward to getting even more festive and bringing my perfect tree home.
If you have already brought your tree, you might like to like to plan your Christmas morning walk in Hyde Park, which at 9am is a is a special route, with the sight of seventy intrepid swimmers braving a bracing 100 yards of the Serpentine, in the Christmas Day Swim.
Londoners have been competing on the Serpentine, which was created in 1730 for the amusement of King George II and Queen Caroline, for centuries. Its special Christmas Day Swim was inaugurated in 1864. Since 1904, members who have raced in the winter series compete for the Peter Pan Cup, donated by the creator of the ever-young boy, J. M. Barrie.
For lovers of the Christmas morning walk, Hyde Park is a great place to take an invigorating stroll and see the intrepid swimmers of the Serpentine Swimming Club rewarded with a glass of mulled punch to warm them up as the Greenbury Family presents the winner with the Peter Pan Cup.
The event has become more popular every year with crowds of well wishers willing the swimmers from Britain's oldest swimming club on, as they pass through the central London Royal Park on their exhilarating Christmas morning walk.
Here in the Royal Parks we have some fantastic and varied opportunities for volunteers to get involved in helping to enhance the 5,000 acres of parkland, which are much loved Sites of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation.
One project I look after is the Kensington Gardens allotment which has 10 volunteers working to create a growing space in the heart of London. They are a bunch of very enthusiastic, committed and passionate individuals, with excellent gardening skills which they are sharing with the parks and the public.
The group held a very successful Harvest Festival in September this year where they showed off all the hard work that had been carried out over the last planting year. They had strawberry plants available for people to take home and digging sessions with children to show them where potatoes came from. Each of the little children had at least one potato, which they took home and hopefully cooked. It was an important lesson for them - learning where our food comes from.
The volunteers also harvested a great deal of lavender, which they prepared in small bags and gave to allotment visitors in return for a small donation to go towards next year's tools and seeds.
The Royal Parks Guild sent its experts along to help answer people's gardening questions and a lot of ideas were exchanged.
Now the group is preparing for winter. A new shed and greenhouse are to be installed in the allotment over the winter. This is really exciting and will enable the group to learn more about growing the plants from seed and how to use the shelter to help propagate.
This week the volunteers have been planting garlic cloves. Hopefully those squirrels will not dig them all up! There are four varieties of garlic: Lautrec White,Elephant Garlic, Ches Nok White and Early Purples White.
The Royal Parks is twinned with the Isle of Wight and the garlic has been sent over by The Garlic Farm, based in New Church on the Isle of Wight. Later in 2013 we will be working with Northwood Primary School, also from the Isle of Wight, to look at growing vegetables, planting seedlings and then reaping the crops.
The volunteers also socialise with each other at different times throughout the year. In the summer the social may include a visit to a garden or special place they have selected. Clearly at this time of the year is it a Christmas party. The volunteers will include all of the visitors to the allotment by putting up a Christmas tree. The chickens may find this interesting, the squirrels no doubt will climb it and hopefully the visitors will appreciate it.
So I wish you season's greetings and hope you come to see the allotment and the volunteers in the New Year.
Even better, get hands on with horticulture yourself, by becoming a Royal Parks volunteer. Visit our website for more information about the full range of volunteering opportunities, which will give you the chance to get involved in wildlife monitoring, habitat management, horticulture, guided walks and much, much more.
It is fair to say that when The Royal Parks' Events Team first received the application to hold a winter event in Hyde Park back in 2005, we were somewhat curious as to whether people could be enticed into the park in the middle of winter.
The Royal Parks' Events Team along with event promoters PWR Events Ltd, set about planning for the installation of London's largest outdoor ice rink in Hyde Park to rival those at the Natural History Museum and Somerset House.
Following the popularity of the event in year one, when Hyde Park Winter Wonderland attracted half a million visitors, it was clear that there was an appetite to build on its success
Now in its seventh year, The Royal Parks and PWR Events Ltd, have developed the entertainment and facilities on offer at Hyde Park Winter Wonderland to meet popular demand. The site is barely recognisable from the original event which consisted of just an ice rink, Santa's grotto and a handful of attractions.
As Events Management staff we and our colleagues at PWR make sure everything is safe, not just on the event site, but also on the access and exit routes, where we make sure the pathways are kept clear. We conduct pre-site checks with the event organisers every morning before Hyde Park Winter Wonderland opens to the public.
Throughout the event, the operational monitoring team are continuously identifying what has worked well this year and any areas for improvement. This includes the attractions, the layout and the event site in general and will be considered when looking at plans for next year. Weekly meetings between The Royal Parks, PWR Events Ltd, the police and other agencies are held to review the week.
Hosting an event in the park brings with it a number of important considerations that you wouldn't have if you were working at an indoor venue. Ecology is a top priority for us and I work very closely with our Ecology Team to ensure for example that light levels don't spill into the bat habitat. We also provide extra feeders to give the birds a boost during the period of the event.
In essence, my job is all about ensuring that visitors who coming to Hyde Park Winter Wonderland enjoy their experience and that the park and the wildlife to which the park is home, are also protected.
It has been fantastic to see this annual event has gone from strength to strength. It has become the firm favourite for a festive destination in London.
| < newer blog posts | 1 2 3 4 | older blog posts > |
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I’m Linda Lennon, Chief Executive of The Royal Parks.
We manage the eight parks to protect, conserve and enhance their wonderful features for future generations.
To give an insight into how we do that, colleagues and I are writing a blog.
The Royal Parks manages London's eight Royal Parks. They are: Hyde Park, Richmond Park, The Regent's Park and Primrose Hill, The Green Park, St James's Park, Bushy Park, Kensington Gardens and Greenwich Park.
When I tell people I work in Regents Park their first reaction is 'do you work as a park ranger?' and so I then have to explain that the park actually hosts the largest outdoor sports facility in Central London - The Hub.
If you have ever walked through The Regent's Park on a Saturday morning during winter you will have seen the park full of people. During most weekends in the winter season the sports facilities at The Hub are used by over 3000 people including: football, rugby and lacrosse teams, as well as by people enjoying a leisurely run around the running track.
The Hub offers a range of opportunities for the public to participate in sport and physical activity and within my role as Active Sports Officer I deliver or am involved in providing many of these services. One of the main ways people can be involved in activities at The Hub is through our Exercise Classes which include: yoga, pilates and power stretch. I also deliver a class for new mums, people with learning disabilities and a free health walk, which means I am able to be very active which is one of my favourite parts of my role. We are also a venue for the Westminster Exercise Referral Scheme which means we provide exercise programmes for people whom have been prescribed exercise by a health profession. Through this scheme I get to meet a diverse range of people and it is very rewarding to see the progress they make.
Throughout 2012 The Regent's Park hosted over 50 different school and charity events and The Hub team worked closely with the event organisers. As part of these events we were lucky enough to have The FA Cup visit, members of the New Zealand Rugby Team and the St Louis Rams NFL team delivering coaching sessions as well as Mark Cavendish using our changing facilities and yes he did actually ride his bike through The Hub front doors!
I have enjoyed working at The Royal Parks throughout the Olympic and Paralympic year and look forward to seeing what 2013 will bring.
Keeping our precious heritage
The Royal Parks manages over 2000 hectares of precious green space in London and the ecological quality of the parks and other green spaces we manage enriches and benefits all of London; rather like the global benefits we all get from tropical rainforests.
In the ecology team we work to help our colleagues to conserve and enhance these precious environments. In order to understand how to manage the parks better and to monitor progress, with the help of skilled volunteers, conduct regular surveys. Our records show that the varied habitats across The Royal Parks support at least 5148 species of plants, animals and fungi, which includes around 418 species of conservation importance.
The challenge
Within the parks are a large number of ponds, lakes and streams, and they are among the most challenging types of habitats to work with.
Feeding ducks, geese and other waterfowl is, for many, synonymous with a trip to the park, but an unintended consequence is that uneaten food can create a nutrient-rich sludge in the water. When added to by the excretions from the birds it is a recipe for the rapid growth of algae which is unsightly, ecologically damaging and a potential health hazard to animals and humans.
Once a lake or pond gets into this state, it is very hard to fix it without draining and de-silting - a massive operation!
Another problem is invasive exotic plants or animals, like carp or terrapins which can have a negative impact on aquatic wildlife..
As a result of these issues, almost all current projects involve work to control invasive plants or animals and to get nutrient levels down. Reedbeds and other vegetation are now often added around the edges of the lakes to help absorb some of the excess nutrients in the water.
Floating and underwater plants can also help limit the growth of algae, while providing a habitat for many kinds of invertebrates, birds and amphibians.
2013 improvement projects
As I write this blog we can be proud of having a number of projects to improve water bodies in the parks in various stages of progress. All are the result of teamwork with our colleagues and external partners.
In Greenwich Park, the Flower Garden Lake has over the last year been renovated and replanted in partnership with the charity Froglife. This project, funded by Biffaward, also created a new small pond to provide a 'stepping stone' for amphibians between the lake and another small pond nearby.
Bushy and Richmond Parks have benefitted from work with Froglife (funded by the SITA Trust), to create enhanced wetland areas to help conserve Great Crested Newts.
In The Regent's Park, also thanks to funding from the SITA Trust, we drained the lake in Queen Mary's Gardens and used the silt to create new areas for reeds and other water's edge planting. A fine boardwalk has also been built so that when the reed-beds mature, visitors will be able to get right in amongst the wildlife.
There is also ongoing work is to de-silt, create a new reedbed plus water's edge planting and stream enhancements in Richmond Park's Isabella Plantation. This project sits alongside a separate initiative with the Friends of Richmond Park who are raising money to fund an extensive programme of pond and stream enhancements and the control of invasive plants. Works so far have included the creation of the entirely new Jubilee Pond in Richmond Park, funded by Healthy Planet and supported by Sir David Attenborough.
Finally we have been working on a new partnership project with Thames21, The Wandle Trust, The London Wildlife Trust, the Environment Agency and others to enhance the ecological quality of the Beverley Brook, which runs for 2km through Richmond Park. If we are successful this will be a major project with benefits for the entire river catchment.
It is hard to believe that just four months ago St James's Park, which saw a whole range of Olympic and Paralympic events including the Beach Volleyball and Marathon competitions, hosted two venues on Horse Guards Parade Ground and The Mall. Spectators and visitors from across the globe came to the park to enjoy watching world class athletes and to soak up what proved to be an electric atmosphere. The park was also the chosen location for the 'Our Greatest Team Parade', a celebration for Team GB and ParalympicsGB.
For a number of years in the run up to the London 2012 Games, The Royal Parks and the St James's Park Management team worked closely with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) to develop the venue and reinstatement plans. Our main priority throughout was to ensure that the impact of each venue and event on the park was kept to a minimum. After LOCOG had removed the last venue structures, our team of contractors got to work restoring the park to its former glory and reopening as much of it as possible. The majority of the park, including all paths and roads, is open to visitors.
By the end of November all of the turfing and seeding was completed on schedule. The recently restored areas have been temporarily cordoned off to allow the grass to establish. This means that about half of the grassed areas in the park are currently fenced off and will not be open to the public during the New Year. We really appreciate the support of park visitors in allowing these newly restored areas of grass time to grow and thrive.
In spring 2013, when the grass is strong enough, we will start removing the fencing and visitors will be able to walk throughout the park by Easter. By April we are confident that the park will be in even better condition than it was before the Games.
Find out more about our reinstatement progress in St James's Park.
What does Christmas mean to you? Well, so far I've been hitting the shops and heading to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park to celebrate the arrival of December; a festive month full of family and fun! After buying yet another pair of earrings from the Christmas market, I stop to admire the Christmas lights and decorations and realise that I'm missing one of the most essential "Christmassy things": my beautiful fresh tree!
So if like me you are buying your tree this weekend, why not head over to a Royal Park and visit Pines and Needles, where you can take your pick from a large selection of trees available in a variety of shapes, sizes and prices.
Richmond Park - Roehampton Gate Car Park
Bushy Park - Diana Car Park
Greenwich Park - Bower Avenue next to Black Heath Lodge
I am going to Bushy Park on Saturday and am planning to buy a small one (I say this every year). I am thinking of selecting a Nordmann fir tree that has soft needles so I don't hurt my fingers when removing the chocolates, but who knows I may change my mind by Saturday. Whichever tree I choose, I'm looking forward to getting even more festive and bringing my perfect tree home.
If you have already brought your tree, you might like to like to plan your Christmas morning walk in Hyde Park, which at 9am is a is a special route, with the sight of seventy intrepid swimmers braving a bracing 100 yards of the Serpentine, in the Christmas Day Swim.
Londoners have been competing on the Serpentine, which was created in 1730 for the amusement of King George II and Queen Caroline, for centuries. Its special Christmas Day Swim was inaugurated in 1864. Since 1904, members who have raced in the winter series compete for the Peter Pan Cup, donated by the creator of the ever-young boy, J. M. Barrie.
For lovers of the Christmas morning walk, Hyde Park is a great place to take an invigorating stroll and see the intrepid swimmers of the Serpentine Swimming Club rewarded with a glass of mulled punch to warm them up as the Greenbury Family presents the winner with the Peter Pan Cup.
The event has become more popular every year with crowds of well wishers willing the swimmers from Britain's oldest swimming club on, as they pass through the central London Royal Park on their exhilarating Christmas morning walk.
Here in the Royal Parks we have some fantastic and varied opportunities for volunteers to get involved in helping to enhance the 5,000 acres of parkland, which are much loved Sites of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation.
One project I look after is the Kensington Gardens allotment which has 10 volunteers working to create a growing space in the heart of London. They are a bunch of very enthusiastic, committed and passionate individuals, with excellent gardening skills which they are sharing with the parks and the public.
The group held a very successful Harvest Festival in September this year where they showed off all the hard work that had been carried out over the last planting year. They had strawberry plants available for people to take home and digging sessions with children to show them where potatoes came from. Each of the little children had at least one potato, which they took home and hopefully cooked. It was an important lesson for them - learning where our food comes from.
The volunteers also harvested a great deal of lavender, which they prepared in small bags and gave to allotment visitors in return for a small donation to go towards next year's tools and seeds.
The Royal Parks Guild sent its experts along to help answer people's gardening questions and a lot of ideas were exchanged.
Now the group is preparing for winter. A new shed and greenhouse are to be installed in the allotment over the winter. This is really exciting and will enable the group to learn more about growing the plants from seed and how to use the shelter to help propagate.
This week the volunteers have been planting garlic cloves. Hopefully those squirrels will not dig them all up! There are four varieties of garlic: Lautrec White,Elephant Garlic, Ches Nok White and Early Purples White.
The Royal Parks is twinned with the Isle of Wight and the garlic has been sent over by The Garlic Farm, based in New Church on the Isle of Wight. Later in 2013 we will be working with Northwood Primary School, also from the Isle of Wight, to look at growing vegetables, planting seedlings and then reaping the crops.
The volunteers also socialise with each other at different times throughout the year. In the summer the social may include a visit to a garden or special place they have selected. Clearly at this time of the year is it a Christmas party. The volunteers will include all of the visitors to the allotment by putting up a Christmas tree. The chickens may find this interesting, the squirrels no doubt will climb it and hopefully the visitors will appreciate it.
So I wish you season's greetings and hope you come to see the allotment and the volunteers in the New Year.
Even better, get hands on with horticulture yourself, by becoming a Royal Parks volunteer. Visit our website for more information about the full range of volunteering opportunities, which will give you the chance to get involved in wildlife monitoring, habitat management, horticulture, guided walks and much, much more.
It is fair to say that when The Royal Parks' Events Team first received the application to hold a winter event in Hyde Park back in 2005, we were somewhat curious as to whether people could be enticed into the park in the middle of winter.
The Royal Parks' Events Team along with event promoters PWR Events Ltd, set about planning for the installation of London's largest outdoor ice rink in Hyde Park to rival those at the Natural History Museum and Somerset House.
Following the popularity of the event in year one, when Hyde Park Winter Wonderland attracted half a million visitors, it was clear that there was an appetite to build on its success
Now in its seventh year, The Royal Parks and PWR Events Ltd, have developed the entertainment and facilities on offer at Hyde Park Winter Wonderland to meet popular demand. The site is barely recognisable from the original event which consisted of just an ice rink, Santa's grotto and a handful of attractions.
As Events Management staff we and our colleagues at PWR make sure everything is safe, not just on the event site, but also on the access and exit routes, where we make sure the pathways are kept clear. We conduct pre-site checks with the event organisers every morning before Hyde Park Winter Wonderland opens to the public.
Throughout the event, the operational monitoring team are continuously identifying what has worked well this year and any areas for improvement. This includes the attractions, the layout and the event site in general and will be considered when looking at plans for next year. Weekly meetings between The Royal Parks, PWR Events Ltd, the police and other agencies are held to review the week.
Hosting an event in the park brings with it a number of important considerations that you wouldn't have if you were working at an indoor venue. Ecology is a top priority for us and I work very closely with our Ecology Team to ensure for example that light levels don't spill into the bat habitat. We also provide extra feeders to give the birds a boost during the period of the event.
In essence, my job is all about ensuring that visitors who coming to Hyde Park Winter Wonderland enjoy their experience and that the park and the wildlife to which the park is home, are also protected.
It has been fantastic to see this annual event has gone from strength to strength. It has become the firm favourite for a festive destination in London.
| < newer blog posts | 1 2 3 4 | older blog posts > |
Subscribe to this blog feed
I’m Linda Lennon, Chief Executive of The Royal Parks.
We manage the eight parks to protect, conserve and enhance their wonderful features for future generations.
To give an insight into how we do that, colleagues and I are writing a blog.
The Royal Parks manages London's eight Royal Parks. They are: Hyde Park, Richmond Park, The Regent's Park and Primrose Hill, The Green Park, St James's Park, Bushy Park, Kensington Gardens and Greenwich Park.
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Buy now...
Barclaycard presents British Summer Time Hyde Park, a ground breaking new concert series and outdoor experience from 5 July - 14 July 2013.
More things to do...A permanent memorial to honour the victims of the 7 July 2005 London Bombings was unveiled in Hyde Park by Their Royal Highnesses, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall.
More things to do...This unique Memorial to Diana, Princess of Wales was opened by Her Majesty The Queen on 6th July 2004 and was built with the best materials, talent and technology.
More things to do...Royal Gun Salutes mark special royal occasions. On these days salutes are fired from locations in London including Hyde Park and Green Park.
More things to do...Daily public swimming in The Serpentine from June - September. Serpentine Swimming Club swims every day, including the famous race on Christmas day.
More things to do...Rowing and pedal boats are available to hire on the Serpentine in Hyde Park. You can also take a ride on the UK's first Solarshuttle, powered only by the sun.
More things to do...The Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Walk is a seven-mile-long walk, charted by 90 plaques set in the ground, that takes you within sight of famous buildings and locations associated with the Princess during her life.
More things to do...
When I tell people I work in Regents Park their first reaction is 'do you work as a park ranger?' and so I then have to explain that the park actually hosts the largest outdoor sports facility in Central London - The Hub.
If you have ever walked through The Regent's Park on a Saturday morning during winter you will have seen the park full of people. During most weekends in the winter season the sports facilities at The Hub are used by over 3000 people including: football, rugby and lacrosse teams, as well as by people enjoying a leisurely run around the running track.
The Hub offers a range of opportunities for the public to participate in sport and physical activity and within my role as Active Sports Officer I deliver or am involved in providing many of these services. One of the main ways people can be involved in activities at The Hub is through our Exercise Classes which include: yoga, pilates and power stretch. I also deliver a class for new mums, people with learning disabilities and a free health walk, which means I am able to be very active which is one of my favourite parts of my role. We are also a venue for the Westminster Exercise Referral Scheme which means we provide exercise programmes for people whom have been prescribed exercise by a health profession. Through this scheme I get to meet a diverse range of people and it is very rewarding to see the progress they make.
Throughout 2012 The Regent's Park hosted over 50 different school and charity events and The Hub team worked closely with the event organisers. As part of these events we were lucky enough to have The FA Cup visit, members of the New Zealand Rugby Team and the St Louis Rams NFL team delivering coaching sessions as well as Mark Cavendish using our changing facilities and yes he did actually ride his bike through The Hub front doors!
I have enjoyed working at The Royal Parks throughout the Olympic and Paralympic year and look forward to seeing what 2013 will bring.
Keeping our precious heritage
The Royal Parks manages over 2000 hectares of precious green space in London and the ecological quality of the parks and other green spaces we manage enriches and benefits all of London; rather like the global benefits we all get from tropical rainforests.
In the ecology team we work to help our colleagues to conserve and enhance these precious environments. In order to understand how to manage the parks better and to monitor progress, with the help of skilled volunteers, conduct regular surveys. Our records show that the varied habitats across The Royal Parks support at least 5148 species of plants, animals and fungi, which includes around 418 species of conservation importance.
The challenge
Within the parks are a large number of ponds, lakes and streams, and they are among the most challenging types of habitats to work with.
Feeding ducks, geese and other waterfowl is, for many, synonymous with a trip to the park, but an unintended consequence is that uneaten food can create a nutrient-rich sludge in the water. When added to by the excretions from the birds it is a recipe for the rapid growth of algae which is unsightly, ecologically damaging and a potential health hazard to animals and humans.
Once a lake or pond gets into this state, it is very hard to fix it without draining and de-silting - a massive operation!
Another problem is invasive exotic plants or animals, like carp or terrapins which can have a negative impact on aquatic wildlife..
As a result of these issues, almost all current projects involve work to control invasive plants or animals and to get nutrient levels down. Reedbeds and other vegetation are now often added around the edges of the lakes to help absorb some of the excess nutrients in the water.
Floating and underwater plants can also help limit the growth of algae, while providing a habitat for many kinds of invertebrates, birds and amphibians.
2013 improvement projects
As I write this blog we can be proud of having a number of projects to improve water bodies in the parks in various stages of progress. All are the result of teamwork with our colleagues and external partners.
In Greenwich Park, the Flower Garden Lake has over the last year been renovated and replanted in partnership with the charity Froglife. This project, funded by Biffaward, also created a new small pond to provide a 'stepping stone' for amphibians between the lake and another small pond nearby.
Bushy and Richmond Parks have benefitted from work with Froglife (funded by the SITA Trust), to create enhanced wetland areas to help conserve Great Crested Newts.
In The Regent's Park, also thanks to funding from the SITA Trust, we drained the lake in Queen Mary's Gardens and used the silt to create new areas for reeds and other water's edge planting. A fine boardwalk has also been built so that when the reed-beds mature, visitors will be able to get right in amongst the wildlife.
There is also ongoing work is to de-silt, create a new reedbed plus water's edge planting and stream enhancements in Richmond Park's Isabella Plantation. This project sits alongside a separate initiative with the Friends of Richmond Park who are raising money to fund an extensive programme of pond and stream enhancements and the control of invasive plants. Works so far have included the creation of the entirely new Jubilee Pond in Richmond Park, funded by Healthy Planet and supported by Sir David Attenborough.
Finally we have been working on a new partnership project with Thames21, The Wandle Trust, The London Wildlife Trust, the Environment Agency and others to enhance the ecological quality of the Beverley Brook, which runs for 2km through Richmond Park. If we are successful this will be a major project with benefits for the entire river catchment.
It is hard to believe that just four months ago St James's Park, which saw a whole range of Olympic and Paralympic events including the Beach Volleyball and Marathon competitions, hosted two venues on Horse Guards Parade Ground and The Mall. Spectators and visitors from across the globe came to the park to enjoy watching world class athletes and to soak up what proved to be an electric atmosphere. The park was also the chosen location for the 'Our Greatest Team Parade', a celebration for Team GB and ParalympicsGB.
For a number of years in the run up to the London 2012 Games, The Royal Parks and the St James's Park Management team worked closely with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) to develop the venue and reinstatement plans. Our main priority throughout was to ensure that the impact of each venue and event on the park was kept to a minimum. After LOCOG had removed the last venue structures, our team of contractors got to work restoring the park to its former glory and reopening as much of it as possible. The majority of the park, including all paths and roads, is open to visitors.
By the end of November all of the turfing and seeding was completed on schedule. The recently restored areas have been temporarily cordoned off to allow the grass to establish. This means that about half of the grassed areas in the park are currently fenced off and will not be open to the public during the New Year. We really appreciate the support of park visitors in allowing these newly restored areas of grass time to grow and thrive.
In spring 2013, when the grass is strong enough, we will start removing the fencing and visitors will be able to walk throughout the park by Easter. By April we are confident that the park will be in even better condition than it was before the Games.
Find out more about our reinstatement progress in St James's Park.
What does Christmas mean to you? Well, so far I've been hitting the shops and heading to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park to celebrate the arrival of December; a festive month full of family and fun! After buying yet another pair of earrings from the Christmas market, I stop to admire the Christmas lights and decorations and realise that I'm missing one of the most essential "Christmassy things": my beautiful fresh tree!
So if like me you are buying your tree this weekend, why not head over to a Royal Park and visit Pines and Needles, where you can take your pick from a large selection of trees available in a variety of shapes, sizes and prices.
Richmond Park - Roehampton Gate Car Park
Bushy Park - Diana Car Park
Greenwich Park - Bower Avenue next to Black Heath Lodge
I am going to Bushy Park on Saturday and am planning to buy a small one (I say this every year). I am thinking of selecting a Nordmann fir tree that has soft needles so I don't hurt my fingers when removing the chocolates, but who knows I may change my mind by Saturday. Whichever tree I choose, I'm looking forward to getting even more festive and bringing my perfect tree home.
If you have already brought your tree, you might like to like to plan your Christmas morning walk in Hyde Park, which at 9am is a is a special route, with the sight of seventy intrepid swimmers braving a bracing 100 yards of the Serpentine, in the Christmas Day Swim.
Londoners have been competing on the Serpentine, which was created in 1730 for the amusement of King George II and Queen Caroline, for centuries. Its special Christmas Day Swim was inaugurated in 1864. Since 1904, members who have raced in the winter series compete for the Peter Pan Cup, donated by the creator of the ever-young boy, J. M. Barrie.
For lovers of the Christmas morning walk, Hyde Park is a great place to take an invigorating stroll and see the intrepid swimmers of the Serpentine Swimming Club rewarded with a glass of mulled punch to warm them up as the Greenbury Family presents the winner with the Peter Pan Cup.
The event has become more popular every year with crowds of well wishers willing the swimmers from Britain's oldest swimming club on, as they pass through the central London Royal Park on their exhilarating Christmas morning walk.
Here in the Royal Parks we have some fantastic and varied opportunities for volunteers to get involved in helping to enhance the 5,000 acres of parkland, which are much loved Sites of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation.
One project I look after is the Kensington Gardens allotment which has 10 volunteers working to create a growing space in the heart of London. They are a bunch of very enthusiastic, committed and passionate individuals, with excellent gardening skills which they are sharing with the parks and the public.
The group held a very successful Harvest Festival in September this year where they showed off all the hard work that had been carried out over the last planting year. They had strawberry plants available for people to take home and digging sessions with children to show them where potatoes came from. Each of the little children had at least one potato, which they took home and hopefully cooked. It was an important lesson for them - learning where our food comes from.
The volunteers also harvested a great deal of lavender, which they prepared in small bags and gave to allotment visitors in return for a small donation to go towards next year's tools and seeds.
The Royal Parks Guild sent its experts along to help answer people's gardening questions and a lot of ideas were exchanged.
Now the group is preparing for winter. A new shed and greenhouse are to be installed in the allotment over the winter. This is really exciting and will enable the group to learn more about growing the plants from seed and how to use the shelter to help propagate.
This week the volunteers have been planting garlic cloves. Hopefully those squirrels will not dig them all up! There are four varieties of garlic: Lautrec White,Elephant Garlic, Ches Nok White and Early Purples White.
The Royal Parks is twinned with the Isle of Wight and the garlic has been sent over by The Garlic Farm, based in New Church on the Isle of Wight. Later in 2013 we will be working with Northwood Primary School, also from the Isle of Wight, to look at growing vegetables, planting seedlings and then reaping the crops.
The volunteers also socialise with each other at different times throughout the year. In the summer the social may include a visit to a garden or special place they have selected. Clearly at this time of the year is it a Christmas party. The volunteers will include all of the visitors to the allotment by putting up a Christmas tree. The chickens may find this interesting, the squirrels no doubt will climb it and hopefully the visitors will appreciate it.
So I wish you season's greetings and hope you come to see the allotment and the volunteers in the New Year.
Even better, get hands on with horticulture yourself, by becoming a Royal Parks volunteer. Visit our website for more information about the full range of volunteering opportunities, which will give you the chance to get involved in wildlife monitoring, habitat management, horticulture, guided walks and much, much more.
It is fair to say that when The Royal Parks' Events Team first received the application to hold a winter event in Hyde Park back in 2005, we were somewhat curious as to whether people could be enticed into the park in the middle of winter.
The Royal Parks' Events Team along with event promoters PWR Events Ltd, set about planning for the installation of London's largest outdoor ice rink in Hyde Park to rival those at the Natural History Museum and Somerset House.
Following the popularity of the event in year one, when Hyde Park Winter Wonderland attracted half a million visitors, it was clear that there was an appetite to build on its success
Now in its seventh year, The Royal Parks and PWR Events Ltd, have developed the entertainment and facilities on offer at Hyde Park Winter Wonderland to meet popular demand. The site is barely recognisable from the original event which consisted of just an ice rink, Santa's grotto and a handful of attractions.
As Events Management staff we and our colleagues at PWR make sure everything is safe, not just on the event site, but also on the access and exit routes, where we make sure the pathways are kept clear. We conduct pre-site checks with the event organisers every morning before Hyde Park Winter Wonderland opens to the public.
Throughout the event, the operational monitoring team are continuously identifying what has worked well this year and any areas for improvement. This includes the attractions, the layout and the event site in general and will be considered when looking at plans for next year. Weekly meetings between The Royal Parks, PWR Events Ltd, the police and other agencies are held to review the week.
Hosting an event in the park brings with it a number of important considerations that you wouldn't have if you were working at an indoor venue. Ecology is a top priority for us and I work very closely with our Ecology Team to ensure for example that light levels don't spill into the bat habitat. We also provide extra feeders to give the birds a boost during the period of the event.
In essence, my job is all about ensuring that visitors who coming to Hyde Park Winter Wonderland enjoy their experience and that the park and the wildlife to which the park is home, are also protected.
It has been fantastic to see this annual event has gone from strength to strength. It has become the firm favourite for a festive destination in London.
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I’m Linda Lennon, Chief Executive of The Royal Parks.
We manage the eight parks to protect, conserve and enhance their wonderful features for future generations.
To give an insight into how we do that, colleagues and I are writing a blog.
The Royal Parks manages London's eight Royal Parks. They are: Hyde Park, Richmond Park, The Regent's Park and Primrose Hill, The Green Park, St James's Park, Bushy Park, Kensington Gardens and Greenwich Park.
