After a relatively mild Autumn, December has made its intentions known with frosty temperatures to get us in the festive mood.
It is a lovely time to stroll the park at a less busy time of year and to witness the considerable amount of work going on particularly in and around the Rose Gardens. Of course, the ‘New Garden’ is still a work in progress and under wraps – although volunteer bulb planters had a chance to view it a few weeks ago when they were enlisted to help with the planting of 20,000 bulbs.
Get out and enjoy the park. Benugo is offering some wonderful seasonal delights in their cafés…. and of course, you get your 25% discount there so use it!
Chit Chat continues year-round and convenes at the Primrose Hill Café every Tuesday during winter hours of 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. to chat about all things under the sun- park, plays, books, families, travels and much more. Join in and better yet introduce someone new who might like to join the Friends.
I can tell you that we will have an even bigger, more comprehensive non-musical events schedule for 2026 that will be revealed next year so watch for it and sign up as soon as you see something that appeals.The Festive Winter Wreaths Workshop (3 December) for example, was fully booked so if you thought about that one, you should have signed up, such is the demand.
We wish you all a safe, peaceful and joyous holiday season, however you choose to celebrate it.
Robin Black
Editor – Friends of Regent’s Park & Primrose Hill
Our list of talks for the autumn-winter season is now ready and all interested are most welcome. These are especially for Friends but those who are not are encouraged to join.
Starting from 6:30 p.m., at which time parking becomes free on the Inner Circle. We gather in the Park office meeting room, right and immediately right again off the junction of Chester Road and the Inner Circle:
9 December : ‘Festive Molluscs..’
By Noel Brock, Director, Frognal Gardens
Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. Meeting Room, Regent’s Park Offices.
Many of you will have enjoyed Matt Steinmann’s tree walks in the spring and summer. During the winter, without their cloaks of distinctive leaves, you could be forgiven for thinking that deciduous trees can all look the same, bare and twiggy. Look a little closer, and you will find that there are key characteristics that can help you single out each species even when they have lost their leaves which give a tree its distinctive shape.
Commonly found trees like beech, oak, and birch, have distinct characteristics visible even without leaves. Join Matt, the Arboricultural Officer of The Royal Parks, in this walk when he will share his experience and show us what to look for in winter. 25 places – 23 Friends, 2 guests.
Diana Newman, Secretary of the Friends from 2008 to 2013, passed away peacefully in Ashford Kent on 31 October 2025, aged 95.
In addition to a funeral in Ashford, there will be a memorial and interment ceremony at St. John’s Wood Church on Saturday 25 April 2026 at 11.30 a.m. to which all are welcome. As well as her work with The Friends, Diana volunteered as a guide at Westminster Abbey.
In October, three groups of Friends (49 volunteers in all, including Westminster Councillor Robert Rigby) planted thousands of camassia and daffodil bulbs in the new Queen Elizabeth Garden, to great effect.
New head gardener Fiona Packe said she was delighted with everyone’s contribution and looked forward to a splash of colour in the garden next spring. The Friends also made a financial contribution of £4,000 towards the cost of the bulbs, writes Mike Baker, who coordinated the sessions.
We have received several e-mails asking about the Primrose Hill lights as some of them do not work. Park management has provided the following information:
The Park Sports lease on the tennis courts ends on 31 January 2026. From 1 February the operation will be managed by TRP’s event management team (they took over the boating on the lake in 2024). The operation of the café will be transferred to Benugo.
The Friends of Regent’s Park created in 1993 was an unregistered Association. Following the creation of the Friends Charity in January 2023, several steps had to be taken to close the Association including switching members to the new Charity.
This has now been done and only one member of the association remains. A big thanks to our secretary Pam Henry and our membership administrator Jo Faktor who have completed the legal documents required to satisfy the winding down of the Association under the terms of the 1993 constitution.
Thank you to our sponsors
©2025 Friends of Regent’s Park & Primrose Hill
Friends of Regent’s Park & Primrose Hill is a registered charity in England and Wales (no 1201666)
