National Parks the world over have a lot in common – stunning landscapes, deep connection with nature, a celebration of the whole landscape, valuable and special places that are treasured and well maintained for years to come. Key to keeping these places special are the Rangers who care for nature, and help people connect with that place – which is exactly what we wanted to emulate in London National Park City.
First suggested as an idea by the environmental activist Judy Ling Wong CBE – Honorary President at the Black Environment Network (BEN) and an early supporter and Trustee of London National Park City – developing our own City Rangers was a practical and inspiring way of representing London National Park City presence in each of the capital’s 32 Boroughs.
Our Rangers are an eclectic bunch, as diverse as the communities of London they are recruited from, and active across the whole of London. Rangers have the freedom to initiate and engage with environmental initiatives in ways that best suit their skills and experience. From establishing local allotments to creating new green roofs, from community gardens to formerly unused patches of scrubland, wherever action for the people and planet was called for Rangers, individually and working together are ready to take the lead.
recruiting the first rangers
The initial Ranger programme started in January 2020, with the recruitment of 50 volunteer Rangers. Funded by a number of corporate supporters, including footwear giant Timberland, rather than dictate Rangers’ remit it supported their existing efforts across the seven key areas outlined in the Charter of the London National Park City which ranges from focuses such as Lives, Health and Wellbeing to Locally Grown Food and Responsible Consumption and Wildlife, Trees and Flowers.
The advent of the pandemic just months after the launch meant a shift in the planned approach, and rather than focus on boots-on-the-ground activity and more to sharing Ranger ideas and perspectives online. This gave rise to the first recorded Ranger voices series.
“I was privileged in my then role as Trustee to sign the agreement with Timberland and the VF Foundation to support the development of the new Rangers Programme,” says Ben Smith, Former Trustee. “We wanted to bring together a network of dedicated, diverse volunteers, providing them with the support and framework needed to help London reach its full potential as a greener, healthier and wilder city. I am excited now as I was then about the power and potential of the Ranger programme.”
Rangers: the next chapter
In order to mobilise and formalise the programme in earnest Ed Santry and Floree Zama-Neagra joined the London National Park City team, initially as Ranger Coordinators.
Creating a sense of community and cohesion was key and opportunities were created for Rangers to come together for social and collaborative work events, working around the constraints of nationwide lockdowns. A series of Whatsapp groups were also created to cover North, South, West and East London, making it easier for Rangers to share updates and expertise.
In 2021, the Rangers programme received another boost in the form of funding from social impact advertising specialists Right Thing Media. This was used to fund a number of Ranger projects, many of which were designed to boost biodiversity. You can read more about more about some of them here.
The second phase of Ranger recruitment also took place in the same year, bringing the number of Rangers up to 100. Some of their perspectives are shared here in the second voices series.
the rangerS: where are we now?
There are now around 150 Rangers, who can make use of a dedicated Ranger handbook to guide their work and a readily available bank of tools and resources located at the London National Park Visitor Centre in 109 Fleet Street.
Rangers also have a dedicated newsletter and dedicated channel on our Community platform where they can share events they’re hosting/contributing to as well as posing questions to other members of the Ranger community.
Operating within a rich volunteer ecosystem, Rangers continue to demonstrate their adaptability and resilience, whether that’s making their presence felt at landmark climate events such as Restore Nature Now or leading talks in their area of expertise to encourage others to make the leap from thinking to doing.
The launch of the Ranger Stories series this summer captures the above and Ranger’s Elly and Michael are fantastic examples of the potential offered by the Ranger community.
Ranger community: looking to the future
As London National Park City celebrates its 5th anniversary, the Rangers Programme is looking ahead to the next five years and how we can develop, support and expand the community.
With upcoming opportunities, including the Local Nature Recovery Strategy, we will be co-creating with Rangers a new model for the programme to launch in the Autumn.
“Over the past four years it has been wonderful to see the Ranger Community growing and supporting each other and community projects across the capital, “ says Ranger programme manager Ed Santry. “Rangers come with all sorts of skills and experiences from nature conservation and education to art, woodwork and outdoor activities. We’re looking forward to strengthening the project, bringing new Rangers into the fold and continuing to make London greener, healthier and wilder for all.”
To keep up-to-date with our Rangers, join our free online Community platform today.
