Thank you from the Parks Manager

I asked Jennie Kettlewell, your chairman, if I could have a small piece in this edition of the newsletter. This is my thank you to every member of The Friends for the support you provide. My role exists to care for the parks and make them as good as they can be for everyone. This is the core function of my job, but it takes a small army of people from all across the Council and community to truly make this happen.

I don’t take for granted the effort, commitment and support that you all give to the park and its visitors and how lucky we are to have such dedicated friends. 

With your help and support we are making this park more accessible, allowing members of our community who could previously never use the park to visit and feel safe and provided for. We are caring for our trees and giving them the best chance to thrive with a programme of proactive tree health works. And thanks to you the Ecology Centre are able to make their adult education programme free to all. 

So thank you all from me and the team.

Monica Castelino, RBKC Parks Manager

Response from Jennie Kettlewell

I was very pleased when Monica Castelino told me she wanted to write a piece for the newsletter. She is always so busy, yet remembered and found the time. 

We are fortunate to have a great team of Council officers to run our park – Parks Management, the Ecology Service, the Project Management team and the Parks Police. They all work closely together and with contractors idverde. Most visitors comment on how wonderful the park is, and it is wonderful, but they are rarely aware of the sheer quantity of very hard work that goes into making it so. The Friends appreciate being included in all matters related to the park and it is for that reason we can enjoy making a positive contribution.

[May 2024]