Helen Simms is based in Tower Hamlets and has been a Ranger since April 2021. She has been involved with a range of projects in Tower Hamlets and Newham, from rewilding for pollinators, to art and nature activities but her work is underpinned by a desire to enable Londoners and visitors to (re)connect with the nature they are a part of.
By day Helen is a freelance curator-geographer and currently works for UCL Urban Laboratory. Having previously worked at The Line (London’s first art walk) and Bow Arts, Helen is passionate about the power of art to engage us with critical environmental issues and inspire alternate ways of acting.
Q1
what inspired you to become a ranger?
As a student at Queen Mary University, I actually helped collect photos of wild London for an early campaign exhibition for LNPC. I thought the National Park City was a fun idea but probably just pie-in-the-sky! However, the concept stuck with me and the more I thought about it, the more sense it made, until I knew I wanted to sign up as a ranger myself. The opportunity to join a network of committed people and learn how to put ideas into action was hugely appealing and provided hope in a context of crises and eco-anxiety.
Q2
How are you making London greener, healthier, and wilder?
My work has fallen into three key areas – though of course they interlink:
- Rewilding efforts to support pollinators and engage communities; including the Newham Greenway Trail and Thamesmead Pollinator Corridor
- Programming and assisting with art activities to promote nature engagement, including piloting the Wellbeing Walks on The Line, London’s first art trail
- Creating self-guided walks in London for people to explore nature in the city themselves; including for the Royal Geographical Society, Go Jauntly and a free map/leaflet for the LNPC Visitor Centre in Fleet Street. Â
Q3
What do you think has the single most positive impact of the environmental initiatives you’ve been part of?
Devising and running the pilot programme of the Wellbeing Walks for The Line was a seminal moment for me. I worked with social prescribers and a dementia support charity to take small groups of residents in Newham on art and nature walks. Seeing firsthand how encounters with the local environment had an impact on participants’ positivity, health, and knowledge of plants and birds was incredibly powerful. Over the summer I led two walks each week, giving over 60 people a weekly dose of nature and art to boost their wellbeing.
Q4
What have you gained from being part of the LNPC Community?
I’ve gained a new network of activists and friends across the capital, which is a source of great hope when confronted with the climate and ecological crises and seeming apathy of our politicians and industry leaders. I have also gained new skills and knowledge: from constructing floating islands(!) and identifying bumblebees to enhancing my digital design and mapping skills.
Q5
Describe your proudest moment as a ranger
There are many special moments from marching with fellow Rangers and over 60,000 other people at the Restore Nature Now march (June 2024), to seeing a coot settling onto a floating island I helped build on the Channelsea River. However, a recent example stands out – the unveiling of the beautiful signage designed by artist Ellen Strachan for the Thamesmead Pollinator Corridor. I was part of the panel that selected and commissioned Ellen to run community workshops and create the signs, and they encapsulate my passions perfectly: art, nature, and connecting people and places.
Q6
Describe your most challenging moment as a Ranger and how you overcame it
After the success of the Thamesmead Pollinator Corridor, we put in a funding application to support a more ambitious nature and sculpture trail to link SINCs (Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation) in Bexley. Sadly, we were not successful, and progress has halted. However, it made me realise quite how much we had achieved already, and we will regroup and find new funding options. A great partnership of organisations including Northwest Kent Countryside Partnership, University of East London, Bow Arts, Ridgeway Users and Bumblebee Conservation Trust now exists, so there is huge potential going forwards.
Q7
What’s next for you as a ranger?
Next up I am supporting other Rangers with their projects. Ranger Katie Blake has a wonderful seed game she plays with adults and children to teach more about growing our own food. A small group of us are helping her to develop this and create a prototype with a view to creating a game that could be reproduced and used more widely. Ranger Paula pulled together an amazing Earth Day celebration in collaboration with the Lighthouse Gardens and Stratford Hotel so I will also help build on the relationships established so we can devise and deliver more activities to enable Newham residents to enjoy and protect their borough.
Q8
What continues to motivate you on your Ranger journey?
My fellow Rangers motivate me, I am continuously learning more about nature and our city through their varied initiatives and passions. Whether it is Michael Shilling telling stories with his camera, Alisa Rusavina and Matt Ponting making art with community groups, Katie planting at the allotment gardens, or Aude Vuilli finding new ways to use tech to engage people with city plants, it is powerful to observe the different ways they approach their work and take others on a journey with them. The Rangers’ programme is an experiment, there is huge potential here and every activity is a step towards tapping this and doing London differently together.
Q9
What has been your most memorable encounter with nature in London?
Last summer, my colleagues and I kept catching glimpses of a large bird circling our office and studios. Finally, we were treated to a close encounter with a common kestrel, who came to join our lunch break! I love that this sort of encounter is possible in the heart of the East End, though I suspect the kestrel usually hunts in the nearby Olympic Park.Â
Q10
How can we encourage more people to ‘Do London Differently’?
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Telling our stories and singing out about the amazing and hopeful work that is happening in our National Park City is vital to inspiring others to find opportunities to connect and act and enjoy it too. There are so many initiatives and activities people can be a part of, many for free, so people don’t have to make much of a change or put in a big effort to simply start.
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?
We will have ensured more people know about the movement and scaled up our efforts, working in partnership across the metropolis to enable more people to thrive in our National Park City. As a result, Londoners and visitors will be enjoying active travel (kayaking, cycling, walking, skating) to explore and interact with wildlife. They will be growing and eating more food produced in their neighbourhoods. They will power their homes with energy from the sun, wind, micro-algae and rainwater. They will be picnicking with friends on former roads, which now prioritise play and greenery.Â
Read more Ranger Stories here.
Ranger stories London National Park City
Ranger Stories Through their volunteering, Rangers commit to supporting both London National Park City and the wider Ranger community in many ways -
Learn more about the work that Helen is doing at @outdoor_mummy, try one of her Go Jauntly walks or pick up the map she created to explore nature around our Visitor Centre at 109 Fleet Street.
Find out more about London National Park City and how you can get involved by visiting our About Us page
Together, we can make London greener, healthier, and wilder..
