London Green Spaces Friends Groups Network

Meeting of the London Green Spaces Friends Groups Network (LFN)

This meeting brings together the Friends of Parks groups across London. It is a difficult meeting to minute as so much information is shared. So the following is a brief summary of this meeting which focused on wildlife in our green spaces.

20 different groups were represented and the first topic was the demise of the national Greenspace charity last year and the attempt by other groups to fill their space.

LOVE PARKS ALLIANCE – has been set up by City Farms, Groundwork and TCV and will be launched in October.

PARKS ALLIANCE – national coalition to be a single unified voice for the UK's green-space organisations and stakeholders.

LOVE PARKS WEEK – now run by the Keep Britain Tidy Group.

LONDON WILDLIFE TRUST – pointed out wildlife meadows are the latest trend but expensive to maintain. They use volunteers to install bird and bat boxes and plant bulbs.

GREENSPACE INFORMATION FOR GREATER LONDON (GiGL)  and iGIGL is the capital’s environmental records centre – they collate, manage and make available detailed information on London’s wildlife, parks, nature reserves, gardens and other open space.

LONDON INVASIVE SPECIES GROUP - Links to other groups to update users on Japanese Knot weed, Giant hogweed etc.

GREATER LONDON NATIVE SPECIES SECRETARIAT - has responsibility for helping to coordinate the approach to invasive non-native species in Great Britain.  They are responsible to a Programme Board which represents the relevant governments and agencies of England, Scotland and Wales.

WOODLAND TRUST – Park management plans should be accredited to a national standard and monitored to ensure they meet the standard.

FRESH WATER HABITATS TRUST - aim is to protect and increase the freshwater biodiversity of landscapes, using ponds as a major focus.

FROG LIFE - is a national wildlife charity committed to the conservation of amphibians and reptiles - frogs, toads, newts, snakes and lizards - and saving the habitats they depend on.

In Haringey the LORDSHIP LANE RECREATION GROUND has been refurbished and now has meadows and other interesting features including the original loop bike track first built in 1938.

Victoria Park in Tower Hamlets can have 20,000 visitors a day and is heavily used and its Friends’ Group has 600 members. The manager, who used to manage Mile End Park has been made redundant and the Arts and Leisure department have taken over.

Meadows have been created in Camden funded by the ButterflyGroup.

A meadow has been created in the grounds of a Victorian house in Palace Road , Streatham Hill.

Richmond Council gives its 70  friends groups tasks to do and is encouraging their Friends’ Groups to take over the parks.

An inspiring meeting but exhausting!