50th Anniversary of the Brent River Park celebrated with mayoral history sign reveal and bluebell stilt walkers
The Mayor and Kabir Kaul shake hands after unveiling the history sign – Credit: Jane Fernley, Ealing Parks Foundation
The 50th anniversary of our Brent River Park was celebrated in style on Churchfields Recreation Ground in Hanwell on Sunday, 29th June. The date was exactly 50 years after the park was inaugurated on the same spot in 1975 by the park’s founder Luke FitzHerbert and the then Mayor of Ealing, Cllr. John Johnston. Even the weather matched with a heatwave as it did all those years ago, but plenty of ice cream and lots of fun was had by all!
Our 50th Anniversary history sign unveiling was attended by local residents, Brent River Park members, several Ealing councillors and Deirdre Costigan, MP for Ealing Southall. Today’s Mayor of Ealing, Cllr Anthony Kelly, and Conservationist and Brent River Park Special Adviser, Kabir Kaul, unveiled the new sign telling the history of the Brent River Park and its visionary founder, Luke FitzHerbert. Luke set up our Brent River Park charity in 1973 to campaign for the creation of the park. His vision of a connected ribbon of parkland took a decade to complete. It is now possible, as he envisioned, to walk from Hanger Lane to the Great West Road, following the River Brent through a series of wildlife-rich green spaces.
The Mayor and Kabir Kaul unveil the new history sign, assisted by Bluebell Stilt Walkers – Credit: John Ashburner, Brent River Park charity volunteer
Some of our campaigners who worked with Luke at the time attended the ceremony, including his wife, Kay FitzHerbert, Bill Jordan, Alan Gillett and former Ealing Council planning officer, now a Brent River Park trustee, John Templeton. During the short speeches John described working with Luke, his boundless energy and his commitment to the creation of the park – a passion so strong that Luke hired a minibus and drove the councillors to all the disconnected greenspaces along the River Brent, ending in tea and cake at The Hermitage with campaigner Dorothy Tyler. This action and mass public support eventually convinced the councillors of the benefits of his big idea, and the park became a reality.
Left to Right: John Templeton, Mayoress Mrs Maria Kelly, Mayor Cllr Anthony Kelly, Deirdre Costigan MP, BRP Special Adviser Kabir Kaul, Cllr Louise Brett, Cllr Blerina Hashani, Cllr Paul Driscoll and Cllr Ray Wall. Credit – EALING.NEWS
The Mayor with Kay FitzHerbert – Credit: Katie Boyles, Secretary, Brent River Park charity
Our 50th Anniversary Celebration was an ‘unplugged’ run of events that recalled the original celebration in 1975 and encouraged wellbeing and connection with nature. It began with a run along the River Brent organised by We Run Ealing and continued with interactive joyful performances by Northfields Morris Dancers, Bluebell stilt-walkers and maypole dancing. A children’s Mad Hatter Storyteller and White Rabbit played at the Millenium Maze, which celebrated its 25th birthday.
The 50th Anniversary runners – Credit: We Run Ealing
Mad Hatter and White Rabbit – Credit: Richard Sadler, Brent River Park charity volunteer
The event featured a variety of art and food stalls, creative drawing and writing sessions, and popular wildlife and history walks and talks by the many Brent River Park friend groups, volunteers and stakeholders. The councillors joined in with the spirit and the Mayor and the Mayoress, Mrs Maria Kelly, enjoyed a dance around the maypole.
The Mayor dancing around the maypole, instructed by Maypole Queen Donna Maria. – Credit: EALING.NEWS
Reopen the Stable Block in Brent Lodge Park as a Community Environmental Centre:- Restoring this once treasured historic building and giving it a new lease of life.
Restore the River Brent’s Health:- Making the Brent a thriving ecosystem once again, a haven for wildlife and a source of joy for our community.
See Warren Farm Nature Reserve fully realised:- Finalise Local Nature Reserve status, look into creating a protective Brownfield Buffer Zone with a Rewilding Hub and keep our meadow flourishing for good.
Create Bat Roosts at Wharncliffe Viaduct:- Look after our bat friends and their environment – giving these vital quiet night-flyers a safe place to call home once again.
Improve Footpaths and Signage:- Connect communities and nature with better, safer footpaths, clear signage and thriving wildlife corridors.
Summing up the ‘Big Five!’, Kabir said:
“Luke believed in connecting communities through nature. These Brent River Park ‘Big Five!’ ambitions will not only make the park better for nature, but also for everyone who loves it – boosting mental health, deepening bonds with friends and neighbours, and equipping future generations with the skills they need to tackle the climate and nature crises. We’d be very grateful for anything that you can give. So please join us – and as Luke said 50 years ago, let’s make it happen!”
Left to Right: Ben Morris, BRP charity Trustee and founder of Clean Up the River Brent (CURB), Katie Boyles, BRP charity Trustee, Steven Toft, BRP charity Trustee, Kabir Kaul, BRP Special Adviser, Cllr Gary Malcolm, Ealing Council Leader of the Opposition, Alastair Mitton, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesman for Ealing Central and Acton, Phil Belman, BRP charity Trustee.
Brent River Park charity Secretary, Katie Boyles, who co-organised the event with Treasurer, Steven Toft and who compered the celebration, commented:
“Luke FitzHerbert looked at the derelict and neglected lands by the River Brent and saw the potential for the connected green ribbon of parkland we enjoy today. It can be easy to take this urban countryside for granted now, like it’s just always been here, but it came about through the dedication of those early campaigners and the Ealing councillors who had the imagination to see it through.
“It’s important for us to honour those who created the Brent River Park 50 years ago while also looking to the future of the park, which is why we unveiled the history sign and launched our ‘Big Five!’ fundraiser on this meaningful day. A lot has changed in 50 years. We are now in a climate and ecological emergency, we need healthy biodiverse meadows and woodlands, and our river with its well-functioning flood plain, more than ever. We are passionate, unpaid volunteers and all donations received, big and small will help support us in bringing these ambitions to life.”
Crowd watches Katie Boyles, Secretary of the Brent River Park charity, opening the speeches – Credit: Ben Morris, Founder of Clean Up The River Brent campaign (CURB) and Brent River Park Trustee
Kate Ashbrook, Director of Britain’s oldest national conservation body, the Open Spaces Society, remarked:
“The Open Spaces Society warmly salutes the visionaries who founded the Brent River Park, and all who have made it the lovely space it is today.
Our founders would have been proud of what has been achieved here in Ealing. We have always believed that green spaces are vital for people, and this splendid oasis along the River Brent is crucial for public enjoyment and nature.
“We have been pleased to help the BRCS in defending the Brent River Park from enclosure, and have fought the proposed Gurnell leisure-development which would take a bite out of the park. Open spaces are threatened now more than ever, and residents must lobby their councillors to ensure that they invest in green spaces as they are vital for our health and well-being.
“We rely on organisations such as the Brent River Park charity to be the eyes and ears on the ground. On the fiftieth anniversary of the park, we celebrate the vision of school-teacher Luke Fitzherbert, John Templeton and the many others who were determined to make their dream a reality.”
“It was wonderful to take part in the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Brent River Park, commemorating the foundation of this invaluable green corridor through our entire borough that brings us all so much joy, nature, wildlife, solace and community.
“50 years ago, Luke Fitzherbert advocated for nature connection with passion, independent thinking and a strong sense of justice, pioneering the idea of the Brent River Park to give urban communities uninterrupted access to nature.
“Here’s to Luke and the next 50 years of our precious Brent River Park. Ní bheidh a leithéid arís ann.”
Brent River Park charity Treasurer, Steven Toft said:
“A big ‘Thank You’ to everybody who came along, to the Mayor, the councillors and MP, to the voluntary organisations, performers and stallholders and, not least, to our family of amazing volunteers and Ealing Park Rangers, Jamie Passmore and Carl Smith, who made the whole day possible. But most of all, thank you to Luke and those early campaigners, many of whom are sadly no longer with us, who had the vision and determination to bring the Brent River Park into being and enabled us to continue Luke’s legacy. This day was for them.”
Our Brent River Park’s ‘Big Five!’ fundraiser is now OPEN on our JustGiving charity page here please do share and check it out to find out more!
To become a FREE member of the Brent River Park charity please go to our joining page. Stay up-to-date and find out more about the Brent River Park by following @BrentRiverPark on Twitter / X, BlueSky and Instagram.
Thank you and here’s to the next 50 Years of our beloved Brent River Park.
