Park Bench

News from around the London Parks

• Capital's Parks Win Over 50% More Green Flags
• Double Win for Brockwell Park
• Makeover for Acton Parks
• Archbishop Lends a Hand
• Disabled THRIVE in Battersea Park
• Cannizaro Park Aviary Restored
• Pelican Eats Live Pigeon
• It's a Fair Cop!
• Bromley Success in Britain In Bloom
• Heather Returns to Hayes
• Danson Popular
• Water Flows Again in Hampstead
• Park People - News and Appointments

Capital's Parks Win Over 50% More Green Flags

A big rise in the number of winners was the main feature of the 2006 Green Flag Awards. Across the country, 32% more flags than in 2005 were awarded to parks and open spaces.

The award of Green Flags is intended to recognise quality, safety, cleanliness and good groundsmanship in Britain's parks and the successful parks are entitled to fly their flag for a year. A fresh application has to be made each year. The scheme is administered by the Civic Trust on behalf of the Department of Communities & local Government.

This year was the scheme's tenth anniversary. 86 flags were awarded in the Greater London area, up from 59 last year. Five flags were awarded to the Royal Parks Agency, up from two last year, and LB Haringey won seven up from four. The LBs of Camden, Enfield, Redbridge and Southwark all won awards this year. The Lee Valley Regional Park Authority and the London Wildlife Trust also make first appearances in the list of winners. The City of London maintained its record at fourteen Green Flags, including awards to its out-of-London leisure areas of Burnham Beeches and Ashtead Common. Eleven community garden schemes in London won Green Pennants. This scheme , now in its fourth year, is for green spaces managed by voluntary groups. And six major areas have been Green Heritage Site Accreditation.

Full details of the winners on www.greenflagaward.org.uk (opens in new window).

Double Win for Brockwell Park

LB Lambeth has been awarded £196,000 by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to advance plans for a £3.5m regeneration scheme at Brockwell Park in southeast London.

The announcement coincided with the completion of a major programme of improvements at the park by the council. These included the renovation of the exterior of the 200 year-old-Brockwell Hall and the refurbishment of the tennis courts.

The Temple at Brockwell Park

The HLF award will build on these foundations with the earmarked funding going towards the restoration of the park landscape and restoration of its historic buildings.

Planned works include:

• improving the entrances and signage
• repairing the Temple building
• taking on additional staff to manage the park and work with local people

Councillor Lib Peck, Lambeth Council's cabinet member for environment and culture, said: "This announcement is fantastic news. We have made major improvements to Brockwell Park over recent months, but the support from the Heritage Lottery Fund will help us ensure its place as one of the best parks in London."

Laura Morland chair of Friends of Brockwell Park, said the news meant a double celebration for park users, following the completion of the recent work by the council. "The Hall now looks sparkling and beautiful and, now we have the exciting news of our successful Heritage Lottery Fund bid, we are really looking forward to being able to renovate the interior and make better community use of this landmark building."

Makeover for Acton Parks

ACTON Park, North Acton Playing Fields, Springfield Gardens, Acton Cemetery, Twyford Crescent Gardens and Midland Terrace are all set for improvements during the next two years.

Clir Nigel Sumner, LB Ealing's cabinet member for Health and Community Well-being, said: "Many of the parks in central Acton have been improved through the council's Liveability project. Now we want to build on that success and extend the makeover to other sites".

Archbishop Lends a Hand

THE Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. Dr Rowan Williams, has helped to construct a "Dove of Peace" mosaic, which will be installed in Archbishop's Park, next to his London residence at Lambeth Palace, early next year.

The dove is part of a larger mosaic which has been made by Southbank Mosaics in collaboration with local volunteers. The mosaic depicts a Tree of Life, (an oak tree) together with several symbols of Lambeth. Lambs at the foot of the oak tree refer to the suggested origin of the name Lambeth as the berth where lambs were brought to be bought and sold to supply Londoners. There are also pineapples in the oak tree to mark Lambeth resident John Tradescant who grew the first pineapple in England.

Disabled THRIVE in Battersea Park

IN September, THRIVE, the national charity that makes use of gardening to improve the lives of disabled people, entered into an exciting venture with Battersea Park. Under the agreement THRIVE will renovate and maintain the park's Old English Garden.

For the first time, disabled gardeners will maintain a public area of a park and it will be a showcase their skills and abilities.

Thrive already maintains the Herb Garden in Battersea Park

The project is supported by QVC, the TV and online shopping channel headquartered near Battersea Park. More info at http://www.thrive.org.uk (opens in new window).

Cannizaro Park Aviary Restored

THE Aviary at Cannizaro Park in Wimbledon has been restored to its former glory.

The birds, who were temporarily moved out during the work, have moved back in and now have new toys and equipment to keep themselves entertained.

The work was carried out by Merton Leisure operations staff, following on the tradition from the staff who designed the original aviary.

Pelican Eats Live Pigeon

VISITORS to St James's Park were shocked recently to see a pelican, one of five living near Trust HQ Duck Island Cottage, pick up and swallow a pigeon.

Photographer Cathal McNaughton reported that the pelican, an Eastern White, had been preening itself on the towpath before it got up and strolled along until it reached one of the pigeons, which it just grabbed in its beak.

"There was a bit of a struggle for about 20 minutes, with all these people watching. The pelican only opened its mouth a couple of times. Then it managed to get the pigeon to go head first down its throat. It was kicking and flapping the whole way down."

A shocked RSPB spokesman said: "It is almost unheard of for a pelican to eat a bird. Their diet should be strictly fish."

Despite the RSPB's comments, however, the St James's Park pelicans have form. In The Parks and Woodland of London (Fourth Estate, London 1987), author Andrew Crowe recounts "the recent strange behaviour of two of the park's [St. James's] pelicans. At first one of them picked off a feral pigeon from the water's edge, drowned it and swallowed it whole. Then it took a duckling. Finally the pelicans took a brood of rather valuable snow geese goslings." The offending pelicans were moved to London Zoo and replaced by "two specimens with more conservative tastes."

It's a Fair Cop!

THE new Redbridge Parks Police (see London Landscapes 10) became operational in June. The force comprises an inspector, John Boylin, formerly borough commander of the Metropolitan Police in Redbridge, two sergeants and twelve constables.

Bromley Success in Britain In Bloom

LB Bromley won a Silver Gilt award in the Britain in Bloom competition 2006 and also scooped a special award for its dedicated focus on biodiversity.

"We are absolutely delighted, as this award is the highest we have ever received in the competition," said Colin Smith, Executive Councillor for Environment and Leisure. It was the only entry in the [biodiversity] category to receive a prize. A big thank you to all the residents and partners involved in enhancing our local green spaces."

And, at this year's London in Bloom ceremony, LB Brent was awarded the Best in Category and Silver Gilt awards for its parks to become the overall winner the 'City' category.

In the process, Brent also scooped a prestigious Silver Gilt award for horticultural excellence. Brent will go forward to be nominated as the council to represent London in the national competition.

Heather Returns to Hayes

WILD heather has been seeded on Hayes Common by LB Bromley's Countryside & Parks team with help from Friends of Hayes Common. The heather planting follows the clearance of the half-hectare site earlier this year.

Says Jess Isden, Countryside and Parks Officer, "Heathland was widespread right across the country until the eighteenth century - but now it is estimated that only one sixth of this still exists.

"Heathland is special because it is home to reptiles and rare invertebrates, such as the green tiger beetle and solitary bees. It is also supports different types of plants, such as heather, bell heather and dwarf gorse," he added.

Bromley's heaths include Hayes Common, Keston Common, Chislehurst Common and St Paul's Cray Common. The name Bromley is related to heathland: 'broom' is a heathland shrub, and 'ley' is an open area, so the 'Broom on the ley', became Bromley.

Danson Popular

THE restored Danson Park (LB Bexley) has been given an enthusiastic thumbs-up from visitors, report Council staff there.

The Lake in Danson Park

The historic house and park have benefited from £1.67 million worth of investment, jointly funded by a grant of £1.2m from the Heritage Lottery Fund and a contribution of nearly £470,000 from Bexley Council.

Water Flows Again in Hampstead

ONCE a popular source of refreshment around London, most of the capital's drinking fountains are now silent, from the combined forces of vandalism, obsolete pipes and health and safety concerns. Good news then that the water is to flow again in the fountain at South End Green in LB Camden (NW3).

The council has commissioned the work, which will consist of putting in a pumping mechanism system and getting the supply re-connected by Thames Water.

The council will also provide a new granite and bronze bowl, similar in character to the original one, so that it is in keeping with the listed fountain. The council hopes to have the fountain working in the New Year.

Park People - News and Appointments

THE Park Force Awards celebrate the valuable work being done by thousands of park workers across Britain.

Cindy Blancy a woodkeeper at Highgate Wood,  was one of five national finalists this summer in the Best Park Worker competition. The eventual winner was Paul Spriggs, an urban park development ranger at Rosehill Park in Rotherham, who won a week in New York, working with the city's celebrated park rangers.

Two London Boroughs - Islington and Lewisham - made it to the final five of the Best Park Force award, which was eventually won by Leicester City Council.

Stephen Cornford has been appointed as Director of the management trust that will look after Potters Fields Park in Southwark (see feature from Summer 2006). The Trust will take over responsibility of managing the open space on the Thames riverside when the current £3m refurbishment is completed. Comford comes from a strong background in heritage, tourism and conservation through his work managing National Trust properties in the North of England.

Emma Fox has been appointed Principal of the Kew School of Horticulture. She has been Acting Principal since August 2005.

Landscape architect Liz Lake has taken over as Chair of the Landscape Design Trust from Professor Edmund Penning-Rowsell.