National Park City challenge

Thanks to Kate Stockings who kindly got involved in a challenge that we set our Y7 students earlier in the term by recording a short video for us.
I noticed a section in a piece she wrote about wanting to become a London National Park City Ranger.

“I’ve learnt that the city is vast and yet intricate; it is open and yet increasingly private and it is friendly and yet intimidating. To navigate our city, you thus need knowledge. You need knowledge of where you can go freely, of where you can go safely and of where you can go to explore, to ramble, to learn and to be inspired. It is through giving people this knowledge, which I’m hoping to do as a London National Park City Ranger, that we will achieve the goal of making the city greener, wilder and more beautiful.” 



Kate has now shared the work on her blog so that others might be able to use the idea.

Here are the further questions that I challenged students with.

London Questions from GeoBlogs

London National Park City crowdfunder

There has been a great deal of progress on Daniel Raven Ellison's campaign for London to become a National Park City.

 This will be launching in July, and Daniel has started a Crowdfunding campaign to ensure that as many Londoners as possible know about it. Why not support the project with a small donation.

Making London a National Park City

The campaign video...

Making London a National Park city

Making a National Park City

 

Could London really become the world’s first National Park City?

Accompanied by Miss Kyndt and Mr. Parkinson, a group of Geographers from Years 11-13 travelled down to London on Wednesday this week to an event at the Royal Festival Hall which had been set up to explore some of the benefits and trouble-shoot some of the barriers that might exist to this ambitious plan coming to fruition. The idea was first dreamed up by Dan Raven-Ellison in 2014, and has slowly gained traction, even gaining the support of Sadiq Khan. The students made their way through train delays to the evening of short talks and music, compered by comediene Josie Long. It was also a chance to experience the South Bank at night, with the London Eye lit up, and skateboarders using the Undercroft.


Dan Raven-Ellison will be visiting King’s Ely later in the term when he walks across Ely as part of his current project to traverse all the UK’s cities and National Parks.


Image: Students watching Andrew Simms talking at the Royal Festival Hall - Alan Parkinson

 

Greater London National Park city

Tickets available for the event in London next week for King's Ely Geographers to join Miss Kyndt and myself.

London: the making of a National Park City

One of several enrichment opportunities for Geographers at King's Ely…

Will be here in a week or so's time with some students…
Sounds like it will be a great event with a variety of speakers and activities…

Find out more and be inspired at an evening of entertaining performances and provocative thinking.

This landmark event explores what a National Park City is, what this means for London, and how our capital can soon become the world's first.

Hosted by comedian Josie Long, speakers include designer Wayne Hemingway, campaigner Fiona Reynolds, firefighter Simon Jakeman, as well as the Bollywood Brass Band, artists and poets.

Come along and see how a simple idea can help transform one of the world's greatest cities.

Line-up includes:

Josie Long, comedian
Wayne Hemingway, designer
Dame Fiona Reynolds, campaigner
Andrew Simms, economist
Bollywood Brass Band, musicians
Judy Ling Wong, community activist
Beth Coller, psychotherapist
Simon Jakeman, firefighter
Laila Sumpton, poet
Rifat Batool, headteacher
Dr Tom Coffey, GP
Jasmine Kamal-Pasha, photographer
Mathew Frith, conservationist
Rachel Bradley, sustainability manager
Paul Hamblin, national parks director
Daniel Raven-Ellison, explorer
Charlton Manor Primary, bee keepers
Andy Mitchell, CEO
Charlotte Webster, artist
Chris Romer-Lee, director, Studio Octopi

Making London a National Park City

Dan Raven Ellison is coming to visit us in September. Here he is talking about his idea of making London a National Park City.

Worth a watch...

Dan is coming in to meet us in the new academic year…

Let's make Greater London a National Park City from Daniel Raven-Ellison on Vimeo.
Help make Greater London the world's first National Park City by backing our crowdfunding campaign: http://bit.ly/GLNPc