Do London Differently by London National Park City

Community voices shaping a new kind of park in East London At the launch of The Listening Project report, we spoke with volunteers and directors from East London Waterworks Park about what four years of paid listening taught them, and how co-design can turn a fenced concrete depot into a free, biodiverse park with natural swimming, learning spaces, and a genuine sense of welcome for everyone. In t...

Recorded on-site at Cultivate Colindale with Heather Ring and Thomas Kendall of Wayward —in partnership with Energy Garden —transforming 4,000 m² beside Heybourne Park into a meanwhile destination for sustainability, creativity and community.  Guests • Heather Ring & Thomas Kendall — Wayward : https://www.wayward.co.uk/ • Project page — Cultivate Colindale : https://wayward.co.uk/index.php/pro...

Emma Griffin (co-founder of Footways London ) sits down with the Lord Mayor of Westminster, Cllr Paul Dimoldenberg , to explore why walking is the best way to experience the city from side-road zebras and dropped kerbs to blue plaques, park corridors and the brand-new West End public toilets (yes, really). Recorded live at the London National Park City Visitor Centre during Open House Festival. We...

Recorded live at the London National Park City Visitor Centre (80 Mortimer Street), host Michael Shilling speaks with Oli Back , Head of Operations at Street Trees for Living (STfL). We dig into how community-led planting and long-term care can transform streets: from sponsorship and guardianship, to cooling overheated playgrounds, to tackling tree equity and choosing the right tree, right place —...

Underground Connections: London Fungi Festival (4–12 Oct 2025) Artist–educator Poppy Flint and Lex from Fat Fox Mushrooms join Do London Differently to reveal how art, sound and science come together for a week-long celebration of fungi across London — including (un)common threads , a free interactive exhibition at the London National Park City Visitor Centre, plus Shroom Sunday, workshops and a g...

What if walking was more than just a way to get from A to B?  In this episode of Do London Differently , author Annabel Abbs (also writing as Annabel Streets ) shares the powerful benefits of walking for health, wellbeing and inspiration. We talk about her books Windswept , 52 Ways to Walk and The Walking Cure , and explore why walking matters — from London’s hidden gardens and Wren’s churches to...

In this episode, host Emily Langston heads to Morden Hall Park in South London, one of the National Trust’s lesser-known gems, to explore how history, ecology, and art come together in a unique creative project. Our guest is textile artist Ranger Elly Platt, who has been running an inspiring week-long workshop with young people, helping them connect with the rare chalk stream habitat of the River...

When Andrea Perry first looked at the neglected green patch near her home in Addiscombe, Croydon, it was a no-go zone nicknamed “Dog Poo Park” — littered with syringes, broken glass, and rubbish. Few dared to step inside. Fast forward a few years, and the same space is now Dartnell Park — alive with fruit trees, wildflowers, colourful benches, and even a wiggly path for children and dogs. It’s all...

Programme Manager Rochelle Shanthakumar talks to Dr. Bushra Schuitemaker about everything from chickens and kayaking in Norfolk to  community-led science and Racial and Ethnic Equality and Diversity in Ecology What do chickens, kayaking in Norfolk, the right to roam, and community-led science have in common? They’re all part of the expansive, joyful and deeply rooted conversation we had with Dr. B...

What does it take to transform a city? Sometimes it starts with something small, a compost system, a shared idea, a community walk to reimagine our grey spaces as green. That’s what was heard loud and clear at the recent London Assembly Environment Committee, where two members of the London National Park City team were invited to speak about the power of community-led action. In a special session...

Welcome back to another joyful ramble through London’s green and surprising spaces! In this very special episode of the Do London Differently podcast, co-host Emily Langston is joined by two fantastic guests: climate comedian Stuart Goldsmith and Phoenix Garden manager Louise Gates . 👀 What’s in this episode? We start in Covent Garden, once a stomping ground for street performer-turned-comedian S...

In this episode of Do London Differently, Michael Shilling sits down with explorer, geographer and campaigner Dan Raven-Ellison - the visionary behind London National Park City and the Slow Ways walking network. Dan shares how a simple question — "What if London was a National Park?" — sparked a global movement. We talk about: ✅ The story behind London becoming the world's first Na...

Our Director Mark Cridge interviews Kate Stockings – Trust Lead for Geography at Future Academies and London National Park City Ranger. We have recently launched a free geography tool kit! – the resources showcase five real-world case studies from the London National Park City movement showing how we’re working to make London greener, healthier, and wilder. The toolkit is designed to be used in th...

For the first time London National Park City will be showcasing a garden visioned by Rangers and brought to life by celebrated landscape designer Yoni Carnice and contractors Cultivate London and Froglife . During the build week we joined contractors and volunteers who are helping bring together the Aster of The Senses Garden.  We interviewed those involved and we'll be sharing some of these...

For the first time London National Park City will be showcasing a garden visioned by Rangers and brought to life by celebrated landscape designer Yoni Carnice and contractors Cultivate London and Froglife . During the build week we joined contractors and volunteers who are helping bring together the Aster of The Senses Garden.  We interviewed those involved and we'll be sharing some of these...

For the first time London National Park City will be showcasing a garden visioned by Rangers and brought to life by celebrated landscape designer Yoni Carnice and contractors Cultivate London and Froglife . During the build week we joined contractors and volunteers who are helping bring together the Aster of The Senses Garden.  We interviewed those involved and we'll be sharing some of these...

For the first time London National Park City will be showcasing a garden visioned by Rangers and brought to life by celebrated landscape designer Yoni Carnice and contractors Cultivate London and Froglife . During the build week we joined contractors and volunteers who are helping bring together the Aster of The Senses Garden.  We interviewed those involved and we'll be sharing some of these...

For the first time London National Park City will be showcasing a garden visioned by Rangers and brought to life by celebrated landscape designer Yoni Carnice and contractors Cultivate London and Froglife . During the build week we joined contractors and volunteers who are helping bring together the Aster of The Senses Garden.  We interviewed those involved and we'll be sharing some of these...

During the London Walking Festival Instepp Founder Julie Ford dropped by the London National Park City Visitor Centre to speak to Michael Shilling about walking for fitness.  Instepp is built on the established methods of exercise therapists to combine the benefits of resistance training with fundamental movement.  Julie, also hosted a workout for the London National Park City team says "for...

Author Paul Wood joined Ranger Dipa Patel at the Visitor Centre for a talk about his new book Tree Hunting: 1,000 Trees to Find in Britain and Ireland’s Towns and Cities.  Over the past five years Paul has been researching and writing Tree Hunting, a book of 1,000 urban trees you can find in the cities, towns, villages and the roadsides of Britain and Ireland. From a stumpy sycamore in Shetland, c...

Recorded at the London National Park City Visitor Centre during the 2025 London Walking Festival. Illustrator, author & map maker of London guide books, David Fathers was interviewed by Walking Class hero Des Garrahan. Green London From parks and rivers to heaths and woodlands, discover London’s most beautiful natural spaces with this captivating and insightful guide. Featuring 14 wonderful wa...

This week we take a look back at some of the events from the London Walking Festival. Emily joins The Green Londoner Gautier Houel and Stephen Lavery from Friends of Bishop’s park for a mindful journey along the Thames through the boroughs of Hammersmith & Fulham and Richmond. The walk highlighted two legendary trees that have outlived monarchs, survived centuries of storms, and continue to st...

London National Park City Ranger Divya Hariramani Herrero is an urban fruit tree forager and Renewable Energy Consultant. Her project Fruity Walks invites you to reconnect with nature's resilience in unexpected urban corners and reimagine London's future—one olive tree at a time. The initial concept behind Fruity Walks was the novelty of finding these more unexpected species within the c...

We interrupt our Walking Month content with a special episode featuring... lambs! Ranger Emily was invited to meet lambs and sheep at Old Lodge Farm in Carshalton, South London, hosted by the Downlands Trust. She got to have her fingers nibbled by Lenny the lamb, and found out more about what the amazing volunteers and team get up to. A huge thank you to volunteer Elspeth Pringle and Grazing Offic...

See full details of the London Walking Festival walks and events. In Episode 2 covering the festival Walking Class Hero Des Garrahan talks to attendees at the New perspectives on walking and wheeling in the city Conference hosted by The University of Westminster. Emily speaks to attendees on our Ranger led walk along the Capital Ring section 6 from Wimbledon to Richmond. Presented and produced by...