Let’s celebrate!

There have been plenty of successes to celebrate at CPRE London this year and we couldn’t have done it without you – thank you!

We had ambitious plans for 2024. We wanted to maximise our impact on climate change, biodiversity, and improving the health of Londoners through access to green space. And despite being a small team, CPRE London has had some big wins.

Here’s our top 10:

• Through our London Tree Ring project, we identified over 200 potential tree planting sites to help link existing wooded areas and wildlife habitats and create a continuous treescape around the capital. We will work with local authorities, landowners, community groups, environmental bodies and philanthropists to find land that can be used for planting trees or rewilding.

• Following the publication of our Green Defenders Report, we launched the Green Defenders Network. Over 2024 we have actively supported more than 50 local campaign groups across London. This support has included setting up a new, highly active network, which is now meeting regularly, allowing local campaign groups to share best practice and support one another.

• Our Hedgerow Heroes project enabled 2,698 metres of hedgerow to be planted or restored in 29 locations across London. This included 1,699 metres of newly planted hedgerows, 455 metres of planting in gaps in existing hedgerow, 440 metres laid and 104 metres of dead hedge (made from cut branches, saplings and foliage that provides a habitat for wildlife and recycles pruning waste). Around 925 people attended hedgerow events, mainly led by friends groups.

• Through our Go Parks London project, we supported friends of green spaces groups. We increased capacity of these groups, which included helping form new borough forums for mutual support, and raised £20,000 through the Big Give Christmas challenge.

• We organised the Mayoral Environment Debate in March. This was part of our campaign around London’s mayoral election on behalf of the More Natural Capital Coalition. We wanted to make candidates more aware of key environmental issues. So former CPRE London Chair, Tony Burton, grilled candidates or members of their team on the GLA’s Environment Committee, on their plans on everything from protecting the Green Belt to shifting to more sustainable forms of transport and boosting water quality in the capital. The debate took place in front of a packed house, including environmental charity groups, and an additional online audience.

• We led the Healthy Streets Coalition to publish the fifth Healthy Streets Scorecard. This prompts London borough councils to deliver action on healthier streets. We recognised Islington and Waltham Forest as this year’s top inner and outer boroughs and encouraged other boroughs to learn from their example.

• We helped win one more streetpark for London. Following our 2022 campaign to turn St John Street near CPRE London’s office in Farringdon into a park, Islington Council announced plans to do just that. Street parks are an ideal way to improve access to green space for Londoners, as well as help mitigate the effects of flooding and rising temperatures.

• Alongside local campaigners, we’ve responded to 13 local plan consultations. Following our response to the Ealing Local Plan in 2023, the council’s new draft published in 2024 reversed some of their plans which threatened significant swathes of protected Green Belt and Metropolitan Open Land. However, the council is still proposing to allow development on some more limited areas, so work to challenge this continues.

• The Urban Tree Festival was the biggest to date, celebrating the joy that green spaces can bring to all. What was six years ago a weekend of walks was this year a nine-day spring festival comprising 112 events attracting over 3,200 visitors from diverse groups across London. These included an accessible cycle ride for people with mobility difficulties taking in Peckham Rye and Dulwich Parks with Wheels for Wellbeing. There was also a walk in Epping Forest for refugees and asylum seekers with Fences and Frontiers and another with Black Girls Hike.

• We recruited a record number of volunteers. This increased the regular skilled volunteer contribution to more than 140 hours a week, giving us more capacity to achieve our goals. We also grew our funding base by adding the Big Give Green Match Fund to our funding mix. In combination with the Big Give Christmas Challenge, this has raised nearly £40,000.

Get involved with CPRE London’s work next year and help us create a greener city.