Archive news

What could possibly persuade you to get up before dawn, to find yourself at Hyde Park Corner on a November Sunday morning? The veteran cars arriving through Kensington Streets on Friday and Saturday and the high tech trailers through the night gathering once again in Hyde Park raise the interest levels. The Imperial College garage doors in Prince Consort Road have been open a lot more recently showing off their own prize vehicle.

It is of course the London to Brighton run for the very earliest of these amazing models which have arrived from all over the world to join the journey.

The great Mailing Operation took place a couple of weeks ago and we have been very grateful for all the kind feedback from you, our members. Words and pictures have both been mentioned as well as the new’ish design. Chauncey the dog (back page) is being recognised on his park walks and is soon going to sign autographs with a delicate dab of his paw.

First Major Event for Hyde Park
(since Christmas 2019)

Congratulations to all who ran in The Royal Parks (RP) Half Marathon (‘The Half’) a couple of weeks ago and congratulations to the teams who organised it.

Summing up Summer
Welcome back to the Friends of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens (FHPKG) Mail Chimp Newsletter.

August was disappointing, probably for all of us in the UK. Not only torrential rain but days without sun. This helped the grass and trees but not the flowers which do need sunshine to thrive (don’t we all?)

An Update
The sub heading to the one above could be “Snooping and Prowling round the Parks”. It’s an occupation I tried out about a week ago and I don’t recommend it. I wanted to give you all some feedback on how well the campaign might be going, had the message made a difference and so on.

Luscious and Lovely
This is a very self-indulgent blog for which I make no apologies. I have had so many messages from you all about how much you are enjoying the parks and particularly mentioning how well they are looking. And some of our very good photographers have sent me stunning images which my second-hand iPhone 6 cannot match.

Keep Wildlife Wild
Leave No Trace
The Royal Parks have launched a campaign to run throughout the summer with key objectives:

1: To remind visitors that the Parks are important refuges for nature and encourage them to adopt behaviour to help nature thrive.

2: To raise awareness of the threats to biodiversity in both parks (for example climate change, increased visitor footfall, spread of plant and animal diseases).

3: To publicise what The Royal Parks are doing to help nature in the face of these challenges.

The campaign is about education, not enforcement.

“The Trumpet Shall Sound” …. Corinthians and GF Handel
It’s time to blow their trumpet for them, the super nursery tucked away as it is in the middle of Hyde Park may not have featured on our members’ radar.

Generous hosts and friends to ‘The Friends’ manager, Mike Jones and his staff have helped many members enjoy Spring and Autumn tours to gain an understanding of how things work. For the last few years (Covid year excepted) members have been pleased to buy surplus plants for their own gardens and balconies.

Members who live anywhere near to the parks, particularly the east side of Hyde Park and the south of Kensington Gardens will be well aware that, for months, there have been demonstrations taking place on the Parade Ground. It’s a huge, open, beautifully turfed inviting space for any group wanting somewhere to gather. Without major events constructing and decommissioning their paraphernalia and no ceremonial events taking place, the space it appears, is up for grabs.

Kensington Gardens is the star of this blog
There’s a lot going on with trees, flowers and planting, buildings, exhibitions and art all grabbing our attention.