Leader's blog

Whether it’s the canal side path in Thamesmead or looking over London from the General Wolfe statue, there’s really is nowhere as beautiful.

Did you know that in 1876 it was Greenwich residents and the Woolwich Arsenal workers who marched to Plumstead Common and tore down the fences designed for enclosure, ensuring that space remains available for use by communities today?

Over a century later, spaces like Plumstead Common are now protected in law and collective action in relation to our parks and open spaces has taken on a slightly different format.

Parkrun

For those of you tucked up cosily in bed on a Saturday morning, you may be unaware of the phenomenon that is parkrun. In Greenwich, we currently have one parkrun (though we are working to get more!) every Saturday at 9am in Avery Hill Park. Participants of all shapes and sizes, some with reluctant children and other with eager dogs, gather for a three-lap circuit of the path totalling 5km... against the clock!

Despite being a (mostly!) keen runner for a few years, I’m a parkrun newbie and it’s absolutely incredible! Parkrun gives me a sense of togetherness with a group of like-minded perfect - the antidote to any ails. I went along just before Christmas thinking it was just a run around the park but am now totally convinced it is so much more!

Personal achievement

The sense of personal achievement is immense, and as someone who has completed four marathons! Volunteers cheer you on and supporting other runners when you’ve finished really does help you feel part of a team.

The fitness benefits are fantastic. When I cast my mind back to my school days, I don’t think ‘athletic’ or ‘sporty’ were descriptors people would have used. Sports day was a largely horrific event, lumped into the 1500m with the other non-sporty types, and made to run laps of the playing field while the elite sprinters looked on in mild disgust. Parkrun is the complete opposite. Supportive, enjoyable and where everyone truly feels like a winner (even if you haven’t made it across the line in pole position!).

Mental health and wellbeing

The benefits to my own mental health and happiness seem to increase each week I go. New challenges await each week alongside the ultimate goal of eventually turning up at some far-flung place across the globe and being an international tourist - parkrun is a global phenomenon!

So, for those of you who have been doing dry January, or getting fitter, congratulations! And for those still thinking about a little lifestyle change, this is simply the cheapest (did I mention its free!), most rewarding exercise I’ve ever done...and not just me. 420 park runners turned up last Saturday...why not join us next week?

A big win for Greenwich

As the Leader of a Council benefiting from a stunning Royal Park, I sit on the board of the Royal Parks. Of course, I would say that Greenwich Park is the jewel in the crown of the many green spaces in their portfolio...but I’m perhaps a little biased!

Like many of you, I’ve been going to Greenwich Park forever and it is the perfect spot for relaxing, running, reading, strolling and (weather dependent!) sledging (which in my case, like many others, means finding the shiniest, sturdiest thing to get from top to bottom in one piece!). It is a park for all seasons, all occasions and for all people.

I’m delighted that a multi-million-pound project has now secured investment from the Royal Parks themselves and almost £5 million of National Lottery funding to support the work.

The Greenwich Park Revealed Project aims to reveal even more of the park’s history while looking forward at how visitors of tomorrow will experience what it has to offer.

Have your say

Remember to have your say on our plans for building a fairer, greener Greenwich.

And there’s just a few days left to have your say on our budget proposals, which includes plans to invest in our parks and green spaces. We really want to hear your views, so if you can find a few minutes over the weekend, then please get involved!