Do London Differently by London National Park City

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Do London Differently by London National Park City

Rangers

38 episodes

4 days ago

In this episode, London National Park City Ranger Nancy Turner shares the story of how Heston Action Group grew from simple litter picks into a thriving community garden and a wider movement to “green the grey”. Nancy talks about: How the group started, and how volunteering on Sunday mornings helped shape the spaceThe reality of community gardening, big jobs, limited hands, and learning as you goA sustainable drainage planting scheme, and the joy of seeing it thriveNancy’s Ranger project, Poc...

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In this episode, London National Park City Ranger Nancy Turner shares the story of how Heston Action Group grew from simple litter picks into a thriving community garden and a wider movement to “green the grey”. Nancy talks about: How the group started, and how volunteering on Sunday mornings helped shape the spaceThe reality of community gardening, big jobs, limited hands, and learning as you goA sustainable drainage planting scheme, and the joy of seeing it thriveNancy’s Ranger project, Poc...

Show more...

Episodes (20/38)

Do London Differently by London National Park City

What if we de-paved our front gardens?

In this episode, London National Park City Ranger Nancy Turner shares the story of how Heston Action Group grew from simple litter picks into a thriving community garden and a wider movement to “green the grey”. Nancy talks about: How the group started, and how volunteering on Sunday mornings helped shape the spaceThe reality of community gardening, big jobs, limited hands, and learning as you goA sustainable drainage planting scheme, and the joy of seeing it thriveNancy’s Ranger project, Poc...

5 days ago

8 minutes

Do London Differently by London National Park City

What if your 2026 resolution was swapping scrolling for strolling?

In this New Year episode we’re taking a quick look back at what’s been happening across London National Park City in 2025, from £80,000 redistributed through 112 community projects to a Ranger community now 160+ strong, Then we’ll set your 2026 walking intentions with three Go Jauntly challenges, build towards the London Walking Festival’s big May goal, and open the first page of our book club pick, 52 Ways to Walk by Annabel Streets, including a clip from my interview with Annabel Abbs about...

1 week ago

20 minutes

Do London Differently by London National Park City

What if every family had a place to learn, play, and belong in nature?

Paula Harvey is building something rare in North London: a permanent outdoor learning and wellbeing space where every family can belong, including SEND families who are too often split apart by inaccessible provision. Through Urban Forest Tribe CIC, she is turning a blank canvas site in N11 into a thriving Forest School home, but she needs support now - funding, materials (especially timber), and volunteers. You can help by donating to the Tribe Roots for Resilience campaign and sharing it wi...

1 month ago

15 minutes

Do London Differently by London National Park City

Sip, Scratch and Sculpt, the expanded arts of making contact with nature.

Recorded live at This is Nature+ at Camley Street Natural Park, this episode brings together London National Park City Ranger Becky Lyon and Imogen Malpas (founder of climate-conscious clubbing collective Club SOL) to explore how we can make contact with nature through everyday culture, sound, and the senses. In this episode What counts as “nature engagement”, and who gets to define itRaves, coffee, sculpture, and other “unexpected” routes into nature connectionTouch, sound, smell, and ...

1 month ago

31 minutes

Do London Differently by London National Park City

Moja Collective - nature, mindfulness and building community outdoors with Shukura Babirye

Recorded live at Camley Street Nature Park, in collaboration with Open Area. Moja Collective founder Shukura Babirye sits down with Ijaz Kato for a warm, honest conversation about how an Instagram page celebrating diverse experiences in nature unexpectedly grew into a monthly walking community - and why slowing down, paying attention and sharing access matters. They explore how Moja Collective’s walks evolved from social hikes into mindfulness-led outdoor experiences, what it means to “lead” ...

1 month ago

29 minutes

Do London Differently by London National Park City

Money Trees, Cyber Gardens and Ecological Citizens

What if your phone could help you care for the trees on your street, not just scroll past them In this live conversation – recorded in collaboration with Open Area at Camley Street Nature Park in October 2025 – artist Rachy McEwan and technologist, guerrilla gardener and nature rights campaigner Kalpana Arias explore how art, code and community action can work together to protect and restore urban nature. From felled sycamores behind a London flat to cyber gardens and Tamagotchi-style tree ...

1 month ago

39 minutes

Do London Differently by London National Park City

Coulsdon Station Pocket Park

We visited a new pocket park carved out from the Coulsdon South station car park, created to tempt the local cycling group (and everyone else) away from the tarmac and into a greener, friendlier meeting place. What started as “somewhere nicer to wait with a coffee” has grown into an outdoor classroom and community hub: rail-safety learning for Cubs, Scouts, nearby schools and adults with learning needs; a rest spot for commuters, cyclists and ramblers; and a platform for local volunteering. E...

2 months ago

20 minutes

Do London Differently by London National Park City

Inclusivity Listening Project interview with The East London Waterworks Park

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 this episode you will hear Why ELWP put inclusivity at the heart of the project, and what they lea...

2 months ago

25 minutes

Do London Differently by London National Park City

Cultivate Colindale - The new home for Wayward Plants

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/project/cultivate-colindale Partners & Place • Energy Garden: https://www.energygard...

2 months ago

10 minutes

Do London Differently by London National Park City

The Walking Lord Mayor: Footways in conversation with Cllr Paul Dimoldenberg

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. Westminster Footways map & routes: footways.london/westminster In this episode Why Paul calls hi...

3 months ago

28 minutes

Do London Differently by London National Park City

The Shade Revolution: Growing Street Tree Cover in London

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 — and right reason. We also cover timelines, funding realities, and simple ways you can get involve...

3 months ago

52 minutes

Do London Differently by London National Park City

The London Fungi Festival - preview show

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 guided “Walk Under the Trees”. Programme & tickets Festival hub & full listings: London Fun...

3 months ago

30 minutes

Do London Differently by London National Park City

The Walking Cure with Annabel Abbs (aka Annabel Streets)

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 the science of sea air, forest terpenes and mountain hormones. 👣 Topics covered: Benefits of wal...

4 months ago

22 minutes

Do London Differently by London National Park City

World of the Wandle - Morden Hall Park

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 Wandle through embroidery and reclaimed fabrics. Alongside her are Isabelle Bryan (Programming &a...

4 months ago

44 minutes

Do London Differently by London National Park City

Green Streets: How a Croydon Community Transformed Their Neighbourhood

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 thanks to Andrea and a group of neighbours who went on to create Croydon’s first official Green ...

4 months ago

54 minutes

Do London Differently by London National Park City

Walking, Wildlife and Land Justice: Dr. Bushra Schuitemaker

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. Bushra Schuitemaker on this episode of the Do London Differently podcast. Bushra is a zoologi...

5 months ago

1 hour 12 minutes

Do London Differently by London National Park City

London Assembly Environment Committee

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 on the future of London’s parks and green spaces, Programme Manager Rochelle Shanthakumar and Exe...

5 months ago

23 minutes

Do London Differently by London National Park City

Stuart Goldsmith at The Phoenix Garden Covent Garden with Louise Gates

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 Stuart Goldsmith, and wind our way to the unexpectedly tranquil Phoenix Garden, tucked behind the b...

5 months ago

1 hour 5 minutes

Do London Differently by London National Park City

Dan Raven-Ellison on Rewilding Cities, Walking Movements & Slow Ways

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 National Park City ✅ The rise of Slow Ways and how it's transforming how we explore the UK ✅ Why walking is a radi...

6 months ago

34 minutes

Do London Differently by London National Park City

Hopeful Geography - Kate Stockings teacher resources

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 the classroom for teaching urban greening, sustainable flood management & much more and we can'...

6 months ago

14 minutes