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 for Future - A Salon For Curious Minds

    2D AGO

    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
  2. 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 tits, 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
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. What if every family had a place to learn, play, and belong in nature?

    12/12/2025

    What if every family had a place to learn, play, and belong in nature?

    Paula Harvey is building something rare in North London: a permanent outdoor learning and wellbeing space where every family can belong, including SEND families who are too often split apart by inaccessible provision. Through Urban Forest Tribe CIC, she is turning a blank canvas site in N11 into a thriving Forest School home, but she needs support now - funding, materials (especially timber), and volunteers. You can help by donating to the Tribe Roots for Resilience campaign and sharing it with your network: https://www.avivacommunityfund.co.uk/p/tribe-roots-for-resilience Explore more London National Park City Podcasts

    15 min
  7. Sip, Scratch and Sculpt, the expanded arts of making contact with nature.

    12/08/2025

    Sip, Scratch and Sculpt, the expanded arts of making contact with nature.

    Recorded live at This is Nature+ at Camley Street Natural Park, this episode brings together London National Park City Ranger Becky Lyon and Imogen Malpas (founder of climate-conscious clubbing collective Club SOL) to explore how we can make contact with nature through everyday culture, sound, and the senses.  In this episode What counts as “nature engagement”, and who gets to define itRaves, coffee, sculpture, and other “unexpected” routes into nature connectionTouch, sound, smell, and the body as forms of knowledge (and resistance)Participation over perfection, making invitations rather than outputsCommunity, conflict, joy, and why gathering still mattersAbout the guests Becky Lyon - artist, PhD researcher, and London National Park City Ranger (Barnet) Read: Becky Lyon’s Ranger story London National Park CityExplore: The Department of Artecology London National Park CityFollow: @elastic_fictionImogen Malpas - founder of Club SOL, former environmental journalist, currently at medical school Follow: @clubs0l InstagramRead more: In conversation with Imogen Malpas Links and references Visit: Camley Street Natural Park London Wildlife TrustFollow: OpenAREA on InstagramMore from this series:Open Area Podcast Ep 1 - Rachy McEwan and Kalpana Arias London National Park CityOpen Area Podcast Ep 2 - Moja Collective (Shukura Babirye) London National Park CityCredits Part of a limited edition podcast series created in collaboration with Open Area, recorded live at Camley Street Nature Park during the Open Area This is Nature+ takeover. London National Park City Explore more London National Park City Podcasts

    32 min
  8. Moja Collective - nature, mindfulness and building community outdoors with Shukura Babirye

    11/28/2025

    Moja Collective - nature, mindfulness and building community outdoors with Shukura Babirye

    Recorded live at Camley Street Nature Park, in collaboration with Open Area. Moja Collective founder Shukura Babirye sits down with Ijaz Kato for a warm, honest conversation about how an Instagram page celebrating diverse experiences in nature unexpectedly grew into a monthly walking community - and why slowing down, paying attention and sharing access matters. They explore how Moja Collective’s walks evolved from social hikes into mindfulness-led outdoor experiences, what it means to “lead” as a facilitator rather than a figurehead, and the practical realities of making nature feel safer and more welcoming - from risk assessments and group size, to storytelling, land stewardship and the subtle ways we can reduce our impact on wildlife and other visitors. In this episode, we cover: Why Moja Collective started - and how it evolved “by accident”Making nature feel closer than people think - from London to the North DownsTurning a hike into a mindfulness practice - silence, senses and slowing downCommunity building without burnout - and how to design for longevitySafety on walks - preparation, accessibility and helping people feel settledStorytelling, land oversight, and what stewardship looks like in practiceHow Moja Collective signposts other groups and opportunities (no gatekeeping)Balancing people’s wellbeing with respect for place - sound, space and wildlifeGuests: Shukura Babirye - Moja Collective founder Ijaz Kato - interviewer Find Moja Collective events: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/mojacollective-76841278903 Recorded at: Camley Street Nature Park In collaboration with: Open Area Explore more London National Park City Podcasts

    29 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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