The Danish Church is a gorgeous venue, not to be missed. Learn more about your park, its people and your membership. Drinks and nibbles to follow.

Save The Date!

Big Event - 4th Annual Big Lunch

 
THE BIG LUNCH IN THE REGENT’S PARK - A SUMMER CELEBRATION

Sunday 28 June, picnic 12 noon - 2pm, live entertainment 2pm – 4pm

Volunteering Booking Now Open

The booking portals on our website are now ready, willing and waiting to take your details. You can book to help on our Visitor Information Van, Rambling Rosie, or the Bandstand on weekends from 21 June to 20 September. 

It is easy to book, a great way to spend time in the park and to meet new people. Remember to log on to the website first.

As numbers in the park increase as the weather improves, Litter Picking may be something you enjoy. It is all about giving back to the park we all love.
Volunteer

Friends Updates

What’s on in May

 
Unless you elected not to, you should have received by post the printed Non-Music Events Programme for 2026 booklet. It is of course available on the Friends of Regent’s Park website. To book any event, visit the Events page on our website. https://www.frp-ph-members.org/pages/events

If you want a place on any event, we advise you to book quickly to avoid disappointment. Before you try and book a place on any event you must log in. Only add your name to a waitlist if, when you try and book a place, it says either ‘FULL’ or ‘UNAVAILABLE’.

Spider Walk

Tuesday 5th May 11:00a.m

 
There are around 670 spider species in the British Isles. They are amazing creatures that can build webs, perform elaborate dances and fly long distances using their silk as a sail. They are also crucial predators of insects including garden pests and mosquitoes.

Many people find spiders unsettling and some even fear them, however, to quote Rod Crawford, the Curator of Arachnids at the University of Washington, “Everything that everybody knows about spiders is wrong”.

Join Edward Milner, the Spider Recorder for London/Middlesex and a retired BBC/Channel 4 documentary film maker, who will lead this walk sharing his wide knowledge of spiders that will change your view of these amazing creatures.

25 Places.  2 PLACES AVAILABLE
 
MEET: 10:45am at the entrance to the Secret Garden at St John’s Lodge in the Inner Circle, NW1 4NR.
 
COST:  £5 
Book Now

Statues and Fountains Walk

Tuesday 12 May, 11:00 am

How often have you walked past a statue or a fountain in Regent’s Park and asked yourself, “Who made this?” “What does it commemorate?” “What does it mean?” This is your chance to find out, in the company of Anne-Marie Craven, a distinguished Friend and a Blue Badge Guide.

25 places – 23 Friends, 2 Public   PLACES AVAILABLE

MEET: 10:45am at the entrance to the Secret Garden at St John’s Lodge in the Inner Circle, NW1 4NR.
 
COST:  £5 for Friends, £25 Public.
 
Book Now

The R.C.P. Garden of medicinal plants is unique in that almost every one of the over 1,000 species of plants grown there has a link to medicine. It may be a herb with a long history of use in folk tradition; it may have provided the model for a pharmaceutical drug; it may be a fibre plant used to make bandages or it’s botanical name may commemorate a Physician.

The stories they tell come from diverse cultures, different countries and from every age in recorded history. We will be divided into two groups of fifteen people each with a tour leader from the College.

30 Friends FULL – WAITLIST ONLY

MEET: 10:45am on the steps of the College, 11 St Andrew’s Place, Regent’s Park NW1 4LE
 
COST:  £5 for Friends
 
Once you have signed up and paid for this event no money can be refunded if you cannot attend for any reason.  You can, however, transfer your place to somebody else.
Waitlist

Rose Garden Walk

Wednesday 20 May, 11:00 am

Queen Mary’s Garden, the Rose Garden’s official name, was named after the wife of King George V and opened to the public in 1932. This is London’s largest collection of roses with approximately 12,000 roses. There are 85 single variety beds on display, including one which is home to the Royal Park’s Rose. The Royal Parks advise us that the best time to view the gardens are the end of May and the first two weeks of June so join us for this walk led by Assistant Park Manager, Pawel Szynkarczuk to look at and learn all about roses.

25 places – 23 Friends, 2 Public  PLACES AVAILABLE

MEET: 10:45am at the gates to Queen Mary’s Garden on the Inner Circle, opposite Chester
Road, NW1 4NR.
 
COST:  £5 Friends £25 Public

Book Now

In this workshop run by the Capel Manor College you will learn how to create seasonal planted container arrangements that will bring life and colour to your patios, balconies, and small outdoor spaces.

The course covers:

• Design Principles: How to choose the right container, balance colours and textures for visual impact.
• Plant Selection: Understanding which plants thrive in containers.
• Practical Techniques: Step-by-step guidance on soil preparation, drainage, and planting for long-lasting results.
• Care and Maintenance: Tips for watering, feeding and keeping your container garden healthy throughout the season.

By the end of the class, you will have the skills and confidence to design and plant your own beautiful containers that enhance any outdoor setting.

12 places: Friends only Age 19+  NO CHILDREN,  PLACES AVAILABLE

MEET: 9:45am Capel Manor Campus on Regent’s Park. Entrance is on Chester Road.

COST: £40 per session for Friends only
 
Once you have signed up and paid for this event no money can be refunded if you cannot attend for any reason.  You can, however, transfer your place to somebody else.
Book Now

In 1683 The Chelsea Physic Garden was established on four acres of land on the edge of The Thames by the Worshipful Company of Apothecaries as an outdoor classroom to train their apprentices. Chelsea Physic Garden’s plant collection is unique in being the only botanic garden collection focussed on medicinal, herbal and useful plants and is among the oldest botanical gardens in Britain.

The garden is divided into areas such as:

• The Garden of Medicinal Plants
• The Pharmaceutical Garden with plants arranged according to the ailment they are
• used to treat
• The Garden of World Medicine, with medicinal plants arranged by the culture which
• uses them
• The Garden of Edible and Useful Plants
• The World Woodland Garden

Join us for a guided tour of the gardens, following which you will be free wander at will. Should you wish you can enter earlier and eat lunch in the café(not included in the cost of the tour), which has indoor and outdoor seating.

20 places: Friends only -  NO CHILDREN,  3 PLACES AVAILABLE

MEET: 12:45pm outside the public entrance at 66 Royal Hospital Road, London SW3 4HS Nearest tube station is Sloane Square.

COST: £25 per session for Friends only
 
Once you have signed up and paid for this event no money can be refunded if you cannot attend for any reason.  You can, however, transfer your place to somebody else.
Book Now

Rose Garden 'Slow Walk'

Wednesday 3rd June, 11:00 am

This walk in the Rose Garden is specifically designed for those people who are less mobile. The pace will be slow and volunteers will be on hand to assist anyone with mobility problems. We will visit that part of the Rose Garden that is on the level. Each participant will be given an audio guide which has a range of 100 metres, so they will be able to hear the commentary without the pressure of trying to keep up with the person leading the walk. There are benches scattered throughout the Rose Garden should anyone need to rest.

The week before the event you will be contacted to ascertain your personal mobility needs.

20 places – Friends only  PLACES AVAILABLE

MEET: 10:45am at the gates to Queen Mary’s Garden on the Inner Circle, opposite Chester
Road, NW1 4NR.
 
COST:  £5 Friends only

Book Now

Natural History Meeting

Tuesday 12 May 6:30pm

Dr Arjun Devanesan, FRCP: The history of Vitamin C & its presence in plants of both the Royal College of Physicians Garden and Regent's Park & Primrose Hill
 
Regent’s Park Meeting Room:

Turn onto Chester Road from the east side of the Outer Circle; Turn right again at the end of Chester Road (about 250 metres) onto the Inner Circle, and immediately right again.  The Meeting Room is on the right.

Organiser: Kennedy Cruickshank on wildlife@friendsofregentspark.org

Bird Watch - Late April Update

There was more drama for one of our sentinel birds in the Park, the little owl, on a perfect spring morning in mid-April. It had moved from its hideout high up down to the hollow of a broken branch of a poplar. An Egyptian goose seemed to fancy the site for their own nest, but we think the owl sat tight. These geese are the noisy, invasive and now resident geese which fly aimlessly round and round the Park and elsewhere squawking.. are they a welcome addition or will they become, like Canada geese, permanent?

Meanwhile, here is a fine image of a mistle thrush sitting firm on her nest and keeping watch over her brood. Jays especially will easily raid these nests as do other corvids (magpies and ‘carrion’ crows too numerous from litter left and people feeding them across the Park and Primrose Hill).

Magnus Andersson shot this wonderful photo of early whitethroats in song on gorse. We have at least four, perhaps five singing away this April across the Park though not yet on bush-deficient Primrose Hill. They are recognized by their repeated, scratchy song. At least one or two of these could be last year’s nestlings after successful breeding here.

A final update are the greylag goslings clearly learning the short, but not long, term benefit of mixing with humans.

Otherwise, birdsong fills Park trees and secluded spaces, mainly from marvellously noisy ‘blackcap’ warblers (the females have smart brown caps), some of which over-winter here, more or less silently. We think there may be 30-35 pairs currently. Song thrushes, a little smaller and less speckled than the mistle thrush, have also been in full voice throughout the winter and continue to do very well here.

Kennedy Cruickshank,
Natural History Organiser
wildlife@friendsofregentspark.org

Royal Parks Updates

York Bridge Re-Opening - New Road Layout

The long-running restoration works to York Bridge were completed mid-April. Phase two of these works focussed on reducing damage to the structure from being overloaded. This was done by changing the road layout of the bridge into a single lane for vehicles, with the direction of travel from the Outer Circle to the Inner Circle, plus a contraflow cycle lane to facilitate cycling in the opposite direction.

For clarity this means that vehicles can access the Inner Circle from the Outer Circle/Ulster Terrace by travelling north along York Bridge as normal, and then when leaving the park, vehicles will travel along Chester Road as vehicles are no longer allowed to drive south down York Bridge. Pedestrians can continue to walk in either direction, and cyclists have the addition of a contraflow cycle lane to safely traverse the bridge in either direction (north - with the traffic, and south - using the new contraflow cycle lane).

The Royal Parks would like to thank you for your patience and understanding while these essential works took place, safeguarding the future of this Grade II listed historic asset.  

Police Presence in the Park

You may have seen more police in the park recently? This is due to some extensive discussions between The Royal Parks and the police influenced by the murder on Primrose Hill on April 7.  In meetings involving local counsellors,  police and park management, options were suggested on ways to improve the control of anti-social behaviour so that such tragic events cannot happen again.  

All parties are seeking ways to work together to tackle the risk of rising crime in the park since the Royal Parks Police was abolished.

Get a Taste of Taste 2026

The Royal Parks have offered The Friends 100 (50 pairs) of complimentary tickets to this year’s Taste of London in our park running from 17-21 June. 
 
Attached is the spreadsheet with 50 unique codes on. One code per person to book a pair of tickets. 

Here is the link people will need to use when booking their tickets: Single Session Entry Pass - Taste of London Tickets and Dates
 
There’s also a handy booking guide attached which you can send to members to help them with their booking.