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

    DEC 12

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

    DEC 8

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

    NOV 28

    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
  4. Money Trees, Cyber Gardens and Ecological Citizens

    NOV 21

    Money Trees, Cyber Gardens and Ecological Citizens

    What if your phone could help you care for the trees on your street, not just scroll past them In this live conversation – recorded in collaboration with Open Area at Camley Street Nature Park in October 2025 – artist Rachy McEwan and technologist, guerrilla gardener and nature rights campaigner Kalpana Arias explore how art, code and community action can work together to protect and restore urban nature. From felled sycamores behind a London flat to cyber gardens and Tamagotchi-style tree sensors, they ask how we can stop seeing ourselves as just consumers online and start acting as ecological citizens – in our cities, on our streets and inside our digital worlds. In this episode We talk about: Money Trees – how three 100-year old sycamores inspired a multi-year art project turning threatened trees into 3D models and digital assets that fund real-world care How London currently “values” trees – and why some are worth £1.6m while others are valued at nothing Using photogrammetry, GIS mapping and blockchain to give community trees visibility and protection Kalpana’s journey from regenerative agriculture and farmers’ rights to guerrilla gardening and civic tech in London nowadays and Glitch – a cyber gardening tool that helps people map “cyber gardens”, learn green skills and connect to local species and spaces The idea of environmental generational amnesia – and why every new generation accepts a more degraded “normal” for nature Seeing technology as part of our ecology, not the enemy – “naturalising the machine” in the age of the symbiocene Tree Goji – hacking Tamagotchis and soil sensors so you “look after” a digital pet and a real tree at the same time Data, rights and forests – what it means to talk about data rights for nature as more trees and habitats are scanned and digitised Multisensory worlds – why smell, touch and sound matter just as much as screens in how we connect with nature How projects like Money Trees and Glitch can support children and young people, bridging gaming culture, tech and hands-on time outdoors About our guests Rachy McEwan Rachy is a London-based interdisciplinary artist whose work spans painting, scent, fungi, mycelium sculptures and digital worlds. Her long-term project Money Trees uses 3D scanning, animation and community participation to record threatened trees in London, increase their perceived value and channel resources into their care and protection. Kalpana Arias Kalpana is a guerrilla gardener, technologist and nature rights campaigner, and a trustee of London National Park City. Through her social enterprise nowadays, she creates tools and platforms that decentralise technology and put it back in the hands of communities – including Glitch, a cyber gardening tool that helps people learn green skills, map local ecologies and act as ecological citizens. Links Open Area Money Trees – Rachy’s project mapping and modelling London’s threatened trees Glitch – cyber gardening tool developed by nowadays Camley Street Nature Park – the urban nature reserve where this conversation was filmed Explore more London National Park City Podcasts

    39 min
  5. Coulsdon Station Pocket Park

    OCT 29

    Coulsdon Station Pocket Park

    We visited a new pocket park carved out from the Coulsdon South station car park, created to tempt the local cycling group (and everyone else) away from the tarmac and into a greener, friendlier meeting place. What started as “somewhere nicer to wait with a coffee” has grown into an outdoor classroom and community hub: rail-safety learning for Cubs, Scouts, nearby schools and adults with learning needs; a rest spot for commuters, cyclists and ramblers; and a platform for local volunteering. Emily joined volunteers to discuss how the space came together on a tight budget, why planting choices matter, how social value is measured, and how the community will shape the space in the future.  Explore more London National Park City Podcasts

    21 min
  6. Inclusivity Listening Project interview with The East London Waterworks Park

    OCT 22

    Inclusivity Listening Project interview with The East London Waterworks Park

    Community voices shaping a new kind of park in East London At the launch of The Listening Project report, we spoke with volunteers and directors from East London Waterworks Park about what four years of paid listening taught them, and how co-design can turn a fenced concrete depot into a free, biodiverse park with natural swimming, learning spaces, and a genuine sense of welcome for everyone. In this episode you will hear Why ELWP put inclusivity at the heart of the project, and what they learned from 100+ participants across 19 community groupsPractical design ideas that make people feel safe and included, from friendly wardens to clean accessible loos, quiet spaces, and end-to-end accessHow cultural relationships with nature shape comfort with wildness and swimming, and how to introduce blue space wellConsent-based governance, inclusive volunteering, and how charities can use these findings in their own workLinks and resources Read and share the Inclusivity page, with the Listening Project report and principles: https://www.elwp.org.uk/Inclusivity.htm elwp.org.ukJoin a volunteer circle, from Inclusivity to Design to Learning: https://www.elwp.org.uk/JoinUs.htmExplore more London National Park City Podcasts

    26 min
  7. Cultivate Colindale - The new home for Wayward Plants

    OCT 15

    Cultivate Colindale - The new home for Wayward Plants

    Recorded on-site at Cultivate Colindale with Heather Ring and Thomas Kendall of Wayward—in partnership with Energy Garden—transforming 4,000 m² beside Heybourne Park into a meanwhile destination for sustainability, creativity and community.  Guests • Heather Ring & Thomas Kendall — Wayward: https://www.wayward.co.uk/ • Project page — Cultivate Colindale: https://wayward.co.uk/index.php/project/cultivate-colindale   Partners & Place • Energy Garden: https://www.energygarden.org.uk/ • Energy Garden × Wayward blog: https://www.energygarden.org.uk/blog/energy-garden-amp-wayward-present-cultivate-colindale • Notting Hill Genesis (regeneration partner): https://www.nhg.org.uk/ • Heybourne Park (location): https://heybournepark.co.uk/ What we cover • Building the House of Wayward Plants Reuse Centre to redistribute rescued plants, trees and reclaimed landscaping materials across London • How community gardens are a test-bed for circular landscapes and reclaimed materials • A walk-through of the site: materials yard & reuse centre → propagation greenhouse → courtyard → workshop greenhouse & cultural hub → allotments → tree nursery & pavilion → biodiverse meadow & nature play • Weekly open gardening sessions with Energy Garden; allotment opportunities; volunteer roles and skills sharing • Linking old and new Colindale residents through growing, culture and education (About the House of Wayward Plants: https://www.wayward.co.uk/project/house-wayward-plants • RHS: https://www.rhs.org.uk/ Get involved • Join the Cultivate Colindale Community Build (volunteer sign-ups, sessions, updates): https://www.wayward.co.uk/news-article/join-our-cultivate-colindale-community-build • Follow @waywardplants on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/waywardplants/ • Follow @energygardenldn on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/energygardenldn/    • Podcast hub (National Park City): https://nationalparkcity.london/podcast Credits Hosted by Do London Differently (London National Park City). Recorded at Cultivate Colindale with Wayward. Special thanks to the volunteer build crew and local partners. Explore more London National Park City Podcasts

    11 min
  8. The Walking Lord Mayor: Footways in conversation with Cllr Paul Dimoldenberg

    OCT 8

    The Walking Lord Mayor: Footways in conversation with Cllr Paul Dimoldenberg

    Emma Griffin (co-founder of Footways London) sits down with the Lord Mayor of Westminster, Cllr Paul Dimoldenberg, to explore why walking is the best way to experience the city from side-road zebras and dropped kerbs to blue plaques, park corridors and the brand-new West End public toilets (yes, really). Recorded live at the London National Park City Visitor Centre during Open House Festival. Westminster Footways map & routes: footways.london/westminster In this episode Why Paul calls himself the “Walking Lord Mayor” and how walking shapes civic lifeHow the Westminster Footways map helps residents find calmer, greener everyday routesSmall changes with big impact: dropped kerbs, side-road zebras, lighting, seating, planting, and better toiletsFavourite routes: Paddington → Hyde Park → Green Park → St James’s Park → Victoria, Serpentine North past the wildlife sanctuary, and Marylebone → Bell Street → Edgware RoadThemed strolls: tree walks, pub heritage walks, blue plaque trails, and even Nordic walking in Hyde ParkTry these this weekend Three-Park Green Corridor: Paddington → Hyde Park → Green Park → St James’s Park → VictoriaHyde Park Sanctuary Stroll: Serpentine North path up to Bayswater RoadMarylebone Heritage Meander: Marylebone Station → Bell Street → Edgware RoadGuest Cllr Paul Dimoldenberg, Lord Mayor of Westminster; Westminster councillor since 1982; former Cabinet Member for City Management & Air Quality (2022–2025). Host Emma Griffin, co-founder of Footways London Recorded at London National Park City Visitor Centre (Open House Festival, live audience) — learn more about the movement: nationalparkcity.london If you enjoyed this conversation, share the Westminster Footways map with a neighbour, pick a themed route, and tell us your favourite Westminster walk in the comments. Explore more London National Park City Podcasts

    28 min
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About

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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