Do London Differently by London National Park City

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Do London Differently is a podcast series hosted by London National Park City Ranger Emily Langston and produced by Michael Shilling. Have have relaunched in 2025 with a new format - sharing how Londoners are making the city Greener, Healthier and Wilder.

  1. Football and climate change, a live Q&A with Lola May and Dan Hall

    1D AGO

    Football and climate change, a live Q&A with Lola May and Dan Hall

    Football is community, identity, ritual, and emotion at scale. It also has a footprint, from travel to sponsorship to tournament design. Recorded live at Nature of Things, A Salon for the curious mind, this episode is a practical, honest Q&A between Lola May (Paddington Development Trust) and Dan Hall (Football for Future) on what “sustainable football” could actually look like, and how fans, clubs, and players can help shift the game. IN THIS EPISODE - The projects that inspired Dan most, and why local, community-led work matters - “There is no apolitical sport”, and what football teaches us about power and values - The money question, what could football fund if it tried? - Common Goal, and how 1 percent pledges can unlock real change - Fans and supporters’ trusts, how asking the right questions can move clubs - Player influence, especially among young supporters - The hardest contradictions, sponsorship, travel emissions, and sportswashing - Concrete actions listeners can take this week LINKS AND REFERENCES London National Park City https://nationalparkcity.london/a-salon-for-curious-minds-football-and-climate-change Football for Future: https://footballforfuture.org/ Common Goal: https://www.common-goal.org/ Move for the Planet: https://www.common-goal.org/Project/Details/Move-for-the-Planet Fossil Free Football: https://www.fossilfreefootball.org/ Suggested further reading: Wolves, One Pack One Planet: https://www.wolves.co.uk/news/sustainability/20250318-one-pack-one-planet-green-football-2025/ TAKE ACTION 1) Check your club’s website, is there a sustainability plan? 2) If not, write and ask. If yes, ask what’s next, what’s measured, and who leads it. 3) Get involved with fan groups or supporters’ trusts, evidence and collective voice matter. 4) Push on travel, because it’s both a fan experience issue and a carbon issue. CREDITS Host, Lola May, Paddington Development Trust Guest, Dan Hall, Football for Future Recorded live at Nature of Things, A Salon for the curious mind TAGS Explore more London National Park City Podcasts

    31 min
  2. Accessible Means Reachable - Tarek Mrad on Disability, Transport and Nature in Hounslow

    6D AGO

    Accessible Means Reachable - Tarek Mrad on Disability, Transport and Nature in Hounslow

    Put your earphones on, step outside, and notice what most people glide past: who can actually get here. In this interview, I’m joined by Hounslow Ranger Tarek Mrad, who’s delivering a clear message: accessibility has to be built, not just said. Tarek shares why many green spaces still aren’t properly wheelchair accessible, why transport is often the biggest barrier (sometimes starting at the bus stop), and what his survey revealed about everyday access challenges in Hounslow. We also talk about what happens when you design events with access in mind, including one standout moment when a participant who doesn’t usually speak began communicating at Tarek’s event. With councillors attending, growing local interest, and the council asking about funding future sessions, Tarek’s ambition is expanding: more accessibility-focused events that include transport for a wide range of needs, and even a regular monthly group for disabled residents to share experiences and keep accessibility on the agenda. This is an episode about practical change, stubborn hope, and the difference between saying “accessible” and making it real. If you’re in Hounslow (or beyond) and care about inclusive access to nature, please like, comment, and share, and tell us what would make local green spaces genuinely reachable for you. See Tarek's Project Accessibility to Nature Explore more London National Park City Podcasts

    6 min
  3. The London Fruit Harvest - London is an Orchard

    FEB 4

    The London Fruit Harvest - London is an Orchard

    London gets reimagined as a virtual orchard stitched together by back gardens, street trees, parks, and the people willing to show up with a long pole and a tarpaulin. You’ll hear how the Kensal to Kilburn Fruit Harvesters built a pickers list, gained access to hundreds of local gardens, and turned seasonal harvests into community benefit, from food bank donations to juice pressing, jam making, chutney workshops, and even school enterprise projects. (Brent Council) Alongside that, Fruity Walks brings a different lens: mapping and guiding walks to find fruit trees across London, including the unexpected, like avocado, pomegranate, lemon, persimmon, and more. (London National Park City) We also drop into Granville Community Kitchen in South Kilburn to explore what “good food” means during and after the pandemic, and why hyper-local, chemical-free fruit matters when you’re supporting people in crisis. (granvillecommunitykitchen.org.uk) Guests and voices Michael Stuart – organiser, Kensal to Kilburn Fruit Harvesters (also part of Transition Town Kensal to Kilburn activity). (wemakecamden.org.uk)Divya Hariramani Herrero – creator of Fruity Walks, London National Park City Ranger (Ranger since 2021). (London National Park City)Leslie – Granville Community Kitchen (South Kilburn) team member, speaking about food aid, community meals, and longer-term empowerment through food. (granvillecommunitykitchen.org.uk)Dee Woods – referenced in conversation as a key figure in food justice and community cooking. (Good Food)Paul Wood – referenced for the line “London is a forest”, and for his writing and tree walks. (Penguin) What you’ll take away Fruit harvesting is simple, but not simplistic: pole, hook, shake, tarpaulin, sort, share. Then comes the real craft: permissions, organising volunteers, storing info, and building trust street by street.Back gardens are social infrastructure: fruit trees become conversation starters, memory portals, and neighbourhood glue.Street harvests are public theatre: drivers slow down, windows open, questions fly, fruit gets handed out, and suddenly the idea spreads.Food waste meets food justice: local surplus fruit can move fast from tree to community kitchen, supporting emergency provision and community meals.Replication is the point: the episode points towards training, templates, equipment support, and helping more neighbourhoods start their own harvest groups. Explore more London National Park City Podcasts

    20 min
  4. Football for Future - A Salon For Curious Minds

    JAN 28

    Football for Future - A Salon For Curious Minds

    Football is the world’s biggest cultural language, and climate change is the biggest challenge we face. In this live Nature of Things salon (Paddington Development Trust), Dan Hall, Communications Manager at Football for Future, explores what happens when those two worlds collide. Dan shares why football is such a powerful place to shift attitudes, how extreme weather is already disrupting matches and grassroots pitches, and how football itself contributes to emissions through travel, infrastructure, kits and sponsorship. He also unpacks what “sustainable football” could look like, from better tournament planning and fan travel, to club-led community action and player climate leadership. We also dive into Football for Future’s work with clubs and players, the adidas Move for the Planet project, and the landmark Pitches in Peril report, which maps climate risk for football ahead of the 2026 Men’s World Cup. Paddington Development Trust Presents - Nature of Things - A Salon for Curious Minds.  Supported by Mason & Firth Links and projects mentioned: Football for Future - https://footballforfuture.org/ Pitches in Peril - https://footballforfuture.org/pitchesinperil Fields of Change handbook - https://footballforfuture.org/fieldsofchange Move for the Planet (Common Goal) - https://www.common-goal.org/Project/Details/Move-for-the-Planet Met Office, football and climate change - https://weather.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/getclimateready/football Green Football - https://greenfootball.org/ Pledgeball - https://pledgeball.org/ Fossil Free Football - https://fossilfreefootball.org/ Follow:  Football for Future (Instagram) - https://www.instagram.com/ftblforfuture/ Explore more London National Park City Podcasts

    46 min
  5. RSPB Croydon birdwatching walk in Happy Valley and Farthing Downs

    JAN 21

    RSPB Croydon birdwatching walk in Happy Valley and Farthing Downs

    Ranger Emily joins members of RSPB Croydon for a birdwatching walk in Happy Valley and Farthing Downs in South Croydon. We spot and hear a whole range of birds, including redwings, gold crests, kites, and long-tailed t**s, and learn about why citizen science is so crucial for tracking patterns in bird numbers. You can be a citizen scientist too by taking part in the RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch on 23-25 January - all it takes is an hour of your weekend. Sign up and get an info pack at rspb.org.uk. Speakers: Emily Langston, LNPC Ranger Croydon John Birkett, Environment Committee, RSPB Croydon Special thanks to volunteers and attendees for their birdwatching expertise! Explore more London National Park City Podcasts

    18 min
  6. Is Paris really a benchmark for cycling?

    JAN 14

    Is Paris really a benchmark for cycling?

    Is Paris really a benchmark for cycling? At the end of last year I joined MPs, peers and cycling leaders on an All Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling and Walking day trip to Paris. I wasn’t there as a lobbyist, or as London National Park City, but as the videographer and photographer, capturing a two dozen strong group whizzing through Parisian streets on Lime bikes. We boarded the 7am Eurostar from St Pancras with one question: Is cycling in Paris really that good, and how did they pull it off? Spoiler, yes. It’s good. And it happened because Paris chose political will over perfection, moved fast, learned in public, and rebalanced street space away from cars. But it’s not flawless, junctions and signals still feel like the stress-test. In this film you’ll hear quick interviews and takeaways from MPs, peers and active travel leaders, what impressed them, what still felt sketchy, and what London could steal tomorrow. Featuring interviews with: - Mike Kane MP, MP for Wythenshawe and Sale East - Fabian Hamilton MP, Chair, APPG Cycling and Walking - Brian Mathew MP, MP for Melksham and Devizes - Olly Glover MP, Vice Chair, APPG Cycling and Walking - Ruth Cadbury MP, Chair, Transport Select Committee, MP for Brentford and Isleworth - Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb, House of Lords - Alice Pleasant, Senior Public Affairs Manager, Lime - Xavier Bryce, CEO, Walk Wheel Cycle Trust (formerly Sustrans) - Simon O’Brien, Liverpool City Region Cycling and Walking Commissioner - Emily Cherry, Chief Executive, Bikeability Trust - Trudy Harrison, Senior Advisor, Fusion, Chair of Trustees, Bikeability Trust - Natalie Lindsay, Trustee, London Cycling Campaign - Ed Clancy, Active Lives Commissioner, South Yorkshire, Managing Director, British Cycling Foundation - Duncan Dollimore, Head of Campaigns, Cycling UK Key London lessons, in one breath: - Build connected networks, not isolated fragments - Fix junctions and signals first, that’s where confidence collapses - Reallocate road space boldly, then maintain and enforce it - Do something usable now, improve it fast, do not wait for perfect If you found this useful, please like, subscribe, and share it with someone who cares about how London moves. Filmed in Paris on Lime bikes, with thanks to the hosts and everyone who shared their time and thoughts. Links to organisations mentioned: APPG Cycling and Walking - https://appgcw.org/ Lime - https://www.li.me/ Walk Wheel Cycle Trust (formerly Sustrans) - https://www.walkwheelcycletrust.org.uk/ Bikeability Trust - https://www.bikeability.org.uk/ London Cycling Campaign - https://lcc.org.uk/ Cycling UK - https://www.cyclinguk.org/ British Cycling Foundation - https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/foundation Fusion - https://www.fusion-media.co.uk/ Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, active travel - https://www.liverpoolcityregion-ca.gov.uk/ Savoir rouler a velo (France) - https://www.sports.gouv.fr/savoir-rouler-velo-609 Explore more London National Park City Podcasts

    20 min
  7. What if we de-paved our front gardens?

    JAN 7

    What if we de-paved our front gardens?

    In this episode, London National Park City Ranger Nancy Turner shares the story of how Heston Action Group grew from simple litter picks into a thriving community garden and a wider movement to “green the grey”. Nancy talks about: How the group started, and how volunteering on Sunday mornings helped shape the spaceThe reality of community gardening, big jobs, limited hands, and learning as you goA sustainable drainage planting scheme, and the joy of seeing it thriveNancy’s Ranger project, Pocket Gardens, turning depaved pavement patches into mini habitatsHow the London National Park City show garden at RHS Hampton Court helped unlock donated plants for local greeningA small grant supporting edging, signage and explaining the “why” behind the pocket gardensThe missed opportunities when pavements get fully tarmacked instead of leaving verges or tree pitsThe bigger challenge of front gardens being paved over, and the need for a proper local campaignSkills sharing, training, and workshops that helped build confidence (plus the eternal regret of not taking better notes!)New infrastructure on site, including a gazebo and compost toilet, opening the door to longer sessions and more community eventsAmbitions for film nights, workshops, more partner organisations using the space, and welcoming school visits backExplore more London National Park City Podcasts

    9 min
  8. What if your 2026 resolution was swapping scrolling for strolling?

    JAN 1

    What if your 2026 resolution was swapping scrolling for strolling?

    In this New Year episode we’re taking a quick look back at what’s been happening across London National Park City in 2025, from £80,000 redistributed through 112 community projects to a Ranger community now 160+ strong, Then we’ll set your 2026 walking intentions with three Go Jauntly challenges, build towards the London Walking Festival’s big May goal, and open the first page of our book club pick, 52 Ways to Walk by Annabel Streets, including a clip from my interview with Annabel Abbs about The Walking Cure. Ready? Let’s trade the feed for the field, pop your earphones in, step outside, and let London do what it does best, surprise you.  Explore more London National Park City Podcasts

    21 min
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Do London Differently is a podcast series hosted by London National Park City Ranger Emily Langston and produced by Michael Shilling. Have have relaunched in 2025 with a new format - sharing how Londoners are making the city Greener, Healthier and Wilder.

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