Luke Newcombe is based in Haringey. He has been a Ranger since the summer of 2021. His focus has been on the London borough of Haringey developing a Community Interest Company which specialises in gardening, landscaping and general garden maintenance.Â
Q1
what inspired you to become a ranger?
At the time I was forming GrowN22 and I thought becoming a London National Park City Ranger would be an added benefit, and help to amplify the greening work that was being done in Haringey. And it was also a way to meet like-minded people.
Q2
How are you making London greener, healthier, and wilder?
GrowN22 is a Community Interest Company (CIC) and we provide gardening,landscaping and tree surgery services to residential and commercial clients. On the back of that, because of our CIC status we can tap into/tackle community-based initiatives and community gardens. In Haringey you’ve got about 50 different friends groups and you’ve got a percentage which are not really sure on horticultural issues, what types of plants to get, how to deliver a planting scheme/design. They’re a bunch of people who want to do something good to enhance the area but are not sure how to go about it/where to go for support. So GrowN22 can help in this area, providing consultation. On the other side we have partnered with Friends of the Earth and Cooperative Bank to roll out a Postcode Gardener Campaign. So I suppose all of the work we have done over the last few years has led up to this moment where we have the funding/capability to enhance biodiversity in the local area, particularly in places where this wouldn’t normally happen.Â
Q3
What do you think has the single most positive impact of the environmental initiatives you’ve been part of?
I suppose you’re looking at quite a few different factors there, because not only are you bringing community unity into play, but you’re also cleaning up a derelict area to turn into something nice as well. We’re effectively putting the green back into Wood Green. GrowN22 recently partnered with ecoActive to support the Hackney Buzzline.
Q4
What have you gained from being part of the LNPC Community?
I was there when Sadiq Khan first declared London as the first National Park City, so I’ve been involved in the National Park City movement since 2018. One of the key things I gained was the chance to turn gardening into a full-time job, and the LNPC movement also inspired me to set up GrowN22. I worked in logistics for six years before making this career move, and while I had a comfortable – potentially lifelong – career ahead of me, a state-of-the-art air conditioned office etc, I wanted to be outside and make a difference. I’m now my own boss and have never looked back.Â
Q5
Describe your proudest moment as a ranger
Creating the Westbury Banks nature reserve. It was a piece of land owned by the Highways department (owned by the council) and was formerly an unloved area, prone to flytipping. It took three to four years to turn it into a wilderness of nature and at one stage we had eight different Rangers taking part in activities on the site – something that had never happened before. It was great to lead by example and provide a focus and bring together some of the cohort of Rangers, which at that time numbered 49. Six years on the nature reserve is being taken on as a council asset and will be officially recorded in their documentation, which is great news.
Q6
Describe your most challenging moment as a Ranger and how you overcame it
I think it was wondering how as a Ranger do I make people understand my role and the mission of London National Park City. It was also getting people to change their perceptions of Haringey, and what’s possible here. As an example of the latter we secured £25,000 of funding from the council to create the area’s first parklet from a previously disused area. We planted herbs that local people can pick and use in their cooking and years later it has also become a local school pick up point, which is helpful for local parents. All the problems that were previously associated with the area – like flytipping – have disappeared.
Q7
What’s next for you as a ranger?
Over the last couple of years I haven’t been as active in the Ranger community. It was good meeting up in person with Mark Cridge (Executive Director, London National Park City) this summer, which inspired me to get back into things. I have built up strong skill sets in a number of areas related to gardening and I think it’s really important to share what I have learnt.
Q8
What continues to motivate you on your Ranger journey?
The fact that there is still work to be done, and not many movements are doing it in such a grassroots way, like London National Park City. This is something that’s going to be never ending as we’re in a major fight with climate change.
Q9
What has been your most memorable encounter with nature in London?
It’s a nice cornflower/daisy-ilke plant called Rudbeckia. You can find it in so many places locally. It returns year after year and always reminds me of the heat of summertime. I’ve even incorporated it into several of my garden designs.
Q10
How can we encourage more people to ‘Do London Differently’?
Just by talking to local people like your neighbours, and seeing if you could put together a group of people to actually carry out some type of intervention. Crucially it’s important to seek permission from the landowner or council so that things are done officially.
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?
There’s less than 50% of green spaces across the city, so going above that 50% would be great. Doing more green work and having more trees planted. So create a massive tree canopy in London and create more green corridors like the Hackney buzz line. Ideally, that’s be looking at supporting the expansion of the Hackney buzz line from Hackney into Haringey and then into Enfield, so then you’re hitting three different boroughs. I’d like to see lots more community gardens as well as food-growing projects. I think regulation, to a certain extent, needs to be a little bit flexible in this area to allow people to grow food in a variety of places.
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Together, we can make London greener, healthier, and wilder..
