Greater London National Park

Greater London National Park

Support the campaign
http://www.greaterlondonnationalpark.org.uk/
Sign the petitionhttps://www.change.org/p/become-a-founder-of-the-greater-london-national-park-glnp

Attend the Special 'Reimagine London' Event at the Southbank, Tuesday February 24thFree tickets for Friends Groups at this link only:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/reimagine-london-what-if-we-made-london-a-national-park-tickets-12957346773?discount=FreeTicketForParks

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Update
I have just come back from the IUCN World Parks Congress in Sydney where I shared a presentation on our initiative to make London a National Park City. Within the "Inspiring a New Generation" stream there was a real buzz of excitement for the idea, with experts now considering if their cities could become National Park Cities.

On Monday the Evening Standard published a report on the Greater London National Park. The report repeats a reply from the Mayor that says "we understand that the Government's framework for creating a National Park specifically excludes large urban areas". Of course they are 100% right, which is why we have always said a Greater London National Park would sit outside of current legislation. We shall continue to ask the Mayor's office to publish a report into the cost, benefits and options for making London this new kind of national park.

The report was accompanied by a letter that invited Londoners to become Founder of the Greater London National Park. This was signed by Sir Terry Farrell, George Monbiot and other thought and creative leaders.

Campaign meetingOur next informal campaign meeting is this Wednesday from 18:30 at The Counting House near Bank in central London. Please RSVP if you are able to come and join us for pies, ale and discussion.

Reimagine London at Southbank: Join the exhibition   [See more details below]On February 24th we are holding a special event at the Southbank Centre that will invite people to Reimagine London as the world's first National Park City [Details below]. The event will take place across two stages in the Purcell Room and Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer and feature community and thought leaders. We are selling over 500 tickets for this important event that will appeal to a wide audience. There will be an exhibition in the foyer that will showcase organisations working in this field. Please email me if your organisation would like further information and pricing for sponsoring and/or holding a stand at our exciting event. You can also book discounted tickets here.

3 more ways you can help make London a National Park1. Promote the petition in a newsletter, on Twitter or Facebook.
2. Hold a team meeting and think of a way to support our campaign. What could your organisation do to help us snowball more support?
3. Kingston is the first London council to ask the Mayor to publish a report into the costs, benefits and options for the Park. Can you recruit a council leader?

Thank you very much for your ongoing support. This is an exciting time for the campaign and we are making good progress. Together we could make London the world's first National Park City.

Very best,

Daniel

Our mailing address is:
Greater London National Park campaign, 13 Hollies Road, London, W5 4UU
imagine@greaterlondonnationalpark.org.uk

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Reimagine LondonWhat if London became a National Park?

Covering up to 7% of the UK, urban areas are recognised by Natural England as a distinct habitat, and by that definition London is truly remarkable. The population of 8.3m shares the city with 13,000 species of wildlife that inhabit the conurbation's 3,000 parks, 30,000 allotments, two national nature reserves, 36 sites of special scientific interest and 142 local nature reserves.

A massive 47% of London is green space, making it one of the greenest cities in the world for its size. It is home to the world's largest urban forest and its 3.8m gardens cover 24% of the capital.

The statutory purpose of national park status is to "conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the area" and "promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of the park by the public." What if we took these ideas and applied them to London?

Join us for a day of inspirational presentations, engaging panel discussions and a conversation that could lead to London becoming the world's first National Park City, a new kind of national park.

Speakers include

• Sir Terry Farrell CBE, leading architect planner and Mayor’s Design Advisor 
• Alison Barnes, CEO of the New Forest National Park
• Dave Morris, Chair of London Green Spaces Friends Groups Network
• Judy Ling Wong CBE, UK President of Black Environment Network
• Steve Head, National Wildlife Gardening Forum
• Beth Collier, nature based psychotherapist
• Steve Cole, Neighbourhoods Green Coordinator