Following Fruit Trees, Finding Stories
Divya Hariramani Herrero's Ranger story
Divya Hariramani Herrero is based in Tower Hamlets. She has been a Ranger since 2021. Divya’s focus is urban fruit tree mapping and offering guided nature walks through her Fruity Walks project. By day she works as a Renewable Energy Consultant.
Q1
what inspired you to become a ranger?
It all started with a pear tree. During lockdown walks through Bermondsey, I discovered this beautiful fruiting pear in my local park. Coming from sunny Madrid, I had no idea London was full of fruit trees, especially in public spaces! Watching them bloom and grow while the world felt frozen gave me so much hope and something to look forward to. No matter what else happened in the world, I couldn’t wait to see the pears grow and hopefully get to taste them at the end of summer.
This fascination led me to seek out more fruit trees, start an urban fruit tree project called “Fruity Walks” and, crucially, a community to share this passion with. Joining LNPC connected me with like-minded people, made me feel part of something bigger than myself, and truly fuelled my passion to grow Fruity Walks.
Q2
How are you making London greener, healthier, and wilder?
Through my Fruity Walks project, I map fruit trees across London and tell the stories of the people who plant and care for them – often uncovering beautiful immigration stories of people who brought seeds (physical and literal) from their homelands to remind them of their roots in a new place. I also lead guided walks, create urban maps, and contribute to community orchard planting and signage projects, helping Londoners discover and celebrate the edible biodiversity woven through the city’s streets and parks.
Q3
What do you think has the single most positive impact of the environmental initiatives you’ve been part of?
Two things stand out: my Fruity Walks guided tours and being part of planting the Rouel Community Orchard in Bermondsey, where we planted over 20 fruit trees with local residents.
The most incredible impact I see is how these projects transform people’s daily relationship with their neighbourhood. On every Fruity Walk, locals tell me they’ve walked the same streets for years without noticing the fruit trees growing all around them. Months later, they’ll excitedly update me about the fruit trees, they’re fully invested in watching them bloom, fruit, and thrive.
The community orchard has been even more powerful for building neighbourhood cohesion. There’s something magical about neighbours coming together around a shared harvest. The orchard creates a genuine sense of common purpose that extends far beyond the fruit itself.
Q4
What have you gained from being part of the LNPC Community?
Where to start… It is only through the connections I’ve built from London National Park City that Fruity Walks exists in many ways. Through LNPC I’ve been able to get funding to create my own physical maps, and I’m hoping to secure more funding to keep providing free Fruity Walks, helping people discover new green spaces in their neighbourhoods. Through these connections I’ve been able to get involved in creating community orchards, learned about forest schools, met inspiring people – the list is endless.
Q5
Describe your proudest moment as a ranger
My proudest Ranger moment was being involved in the Rouel estate community planting. Watching residents who had never worked together before come out to plant over 20 fruit trees and endless metres of fruiting hedge was incredible. Seeing neighbours collaborate to create something beautiful and lasting for their community, knowing they’d be enjoying that harvest together for years to come, was deeply moving.
Another equally proud moment was leading one of my early Fruity Walks for LNPC’s birthday anniversary. Seeing participants light up as they discovered fruit trees they’d walked past countless times was magical, their enthusiasm and genuine excitement showed me there was real hunger for this kind of connection with urban nature. Their positive feedback gave me the confidence to keep developing the project and perfectly captured what I love most about this work: bringing people together through nature.
Q6
Describe your most challenging moment as a Ranger and how you overcame it
The biggest challenge I face is time – juggling my full-time work as a Renewable Energy Consultant with my passion for Fruity Walks. There are so many community projects I want to develop, but I often feel stretched thin trying to give both my professional career and Ranger work the attention they deserve. Sometimes I see opportunities for creating new orchards or organising walks that I have to pass up simply because there aren’t enough hours in the day. I’ve learned to be more strategic about partnerships and collaborations, working with organisations to share the load and amplify impact. It’s taught me that sustainable change happens through building networks rather than trying to do everything alone
Q7
What’s next for you as a ranger?
Lots of fun things are on the horizon! With funding from LNPC, I’m working on creating physical maps to complement my instagram page – I can’t wait to share these with the world. I’m also continuing to expand the reach of Fruity Walks, taking groups on guided walks through different London boroughs to showcase urban fruit trees and their stories. This August I’m collaborating with three incredible organisations: Wild South London, Fellow, and Hackney Herbal. I’m also working on more community orchard projects and signage initiatives to make existing green spaces more accessible and educational for everyone. I’m even exploring creating my own merchandise – caps for people to wear on their own fruity walks!
Q8
What continues to motivate you on your Ranger journey?
The vision of having dedicated orchards at every single public park in London – areas that are clearly signposted and labelled. When you give people knowledge of what can be found in parks, they become more accessible and equitable for everyone. Getting younger generations out in nature, understanding where their food comes from, and being active participants in their community continues to drive me forward.
Q9
What has been your most memorable encounter with nature in London?
My most memorable encounter with nature was back in 2021 meeting Marline Anderson, the most iconic woman growing a thriving grapefruit tree in Battersea. After taking pictures of her HUGE tree, full of grapefruits, she appeared while taking her bins out and we started talking. She told me she’d planted it 50 years ago, when she arrived in London from Grenada to remind her of home. It completely shifted my perspective from focusing on the trees themselves to thinking about the people who grew them. As an immigrant to the UK myself, I instantly felt the universal feeling of comfort at finding familiarity in a foreign place. This encounter transformed not just how I see urban nature, but the entire direction of my Fruity Walks project.
Q10
How can we encourage more people to ‘Do London Differently’?
By inspiring people to pay more attention to their closest surroundings on their day to day. I encourage people to look up, notice the trees around them, and discover the stories they hold. Creating clear signage and information boards in parks helps people feel more comfortable and confident exploring these spaces. When people understand what’s available to them locally, they’re more likely to engage with their community and nature.
Q11
It’s 2029…as a community, what do you hope LNPC would have achieved by our 10th anniversary? And what might London look like as a result?
I hope we’ll have dedicated community orchards in every public park, with clear signage and educational materials. London would be a city where everyone knows where to find fruit trees in their neighbourhood, where communities come together annually for harvest festivals, and where children grow up understanding their connection to the land and food systems. The city would be greener, with residents actively participating in caring for shared green spaces and celebrating the diverse cultural heritage reflected in the plants people have brought from their homelands.
Learn more about the work that Divya is doing over on Instagram @fruitywalks. Find out more about London National Park City by visiting https://nationalparkcity.london/
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Together, we can make London greener, healthier, and wilder..
