In Spring 1991 Ben Whitaker (previously MP for Hampstead) and Peter Catto commissioned the London Business School to assess the feasibility of setting up a non-profit organisation for the future protection of Regent’s Park. The main purpose of the “Friends of Regent’s Park” was provisionally described as follows:
“The conservation and enhancement of Regent’s Park for the people who live and work in the environs and enjoy its facilities”
The London Business School concluded that “Our results both qualitative and quantitative provide sufficient evidence to recommend that the Friends of Regent’s Park should be launched, and a survey established that the tranquillity of the Park is its most valued feature.”
A further meeting was called in September 1991:
Ben Whitaker and Peter Catto were elected co-chairmen, Hilary de Ste Croix was elected Secretary and Michael Goldhill was elected Treasurer. The immediate matters of concern that the Association addressed included:
In 1992 responsibility for the Royal Parks was transferred to the Department of National Heritage. In April, Ben Whitaker and Peter Catto held an open meeting in the Committee Room of the London Zoo at which Dame Jennifer Jenkins (who had been commissioned by the Secretary of State to carry out a study of the Royal Parks) spoke of her hopes that the identity of each park, would be respected.
Dame Jennifer Jenkins presented her report to the Secretary of State in 1993, and in September the constitution of the Friends was approved.
In 1992 Richard, a successful solicitor, was invited by Peter Catto and Ben Whitaker to join them running the Friends of Regent’s Park. Richard became co-chairman with Ben Whitaker, and in 1994 became chairman. In March 1993 Valerie St Johnston was appointed Secretary.
Friends had annual meetings with the Minister for the Environment, and subsequently the Secretary of State, and initially there were pledges to maintain funding levels. However, from 1995 Government funding started to creep down. Richard led a successful campaign to resist a request by the Zoo to acquire an extra 16-20 acres from the Park – during which Friends demonstrated in the Park holding hands around the area in question.
The Friends campaigned to improve Park amenities: for example, potholed paths were repaired, and sculptures and monuments were restored, including the Readymoney Fountain.
Primrose Hill was initially separate from the Friends, but late in Richard’s tenure it was included in the Friends’ remit, and the Friend’s name and logo was amended accordingly.
Valerie St Johnston took over at the time when concerns of the Friends included:
Matters dealt with during Valerie’s tenure included:
The Royal Parks Forum was established composed of the Chairs of the Friends of all the Royal Parks. Regular meetings ensure close connection and cooperation between them and with the Secretary of State.
Malcolm Kafetz the treasurer created a computer programme to run membership, subscriptions, and banking. He also negotiated the 25% discount at park cafes. Activities included visits to other London Royal Parks, and to places of local interest such as the London Planetarium, Madame Tussauds, backstage of the Open Air Theatre, and evening tours of the Zoo.
The dominate concern of the Friends during Malcolm’s time as Chair was the Royal Parks proposal to allow GOALS plc to take over an historic section in the north of the Park to build a 5 a-side football complex.
Malcolm led a robust campaign to oppose this project, rallying support from old and new Friends’ members. During this campaign he:
Much to the relief of the Friends, at a council meeting well attended by objectors including many of the Friends, Westminster Council refused Goals plc planning. Council commented that they had received an unprecedented number of objections.
Sadly the 100 year old Golf & Tennis School on the northern border of the Park had already been demolished in anticipation of approval of the GOALS project. Despite pressure from the Friends it could not be re-instated. Malcolm went on to become Chair of the Royal Parks Forum.
The Royal Parks introduced exhibitions such as Frieze and Taste, which have proved commercial successes. Reasonable plans to avoid too much disruption to Park users and residents were negotiated. Throughout his tenure Malcolm was determined to protect the Park from over commercialization, exploitation, noise, anti-social behaviour and uncontrolled cyclists.
Two issues confronted the Friends during Conall’s time in office, High Speed Rail 2 (HS2) and the Cycling Superhighway 11 (CS11).
The prime concern regarding HS2 was centred on HS2 Ltd requisitioning the Zoo car park for use by lorries clearing the tunnels – indicated it could involve 800 movements a day. Conall appeared before the Select Committee of the House of Commons, but the Friends petition was met with summary dismissal.
CS11 was a proposal principally driven by Transport for London (TfL) to create dedicated sections of road or pavement for use by cyclists. The Outer Circle in Regent’s Park, and the opening and closing of the various Park gates, were a critical part of the scheme. Conall attended eight workshops to discuss the proposals, and there had been little consultation with residents outside the Park. A Judicial Review was granted, and the scheme was rejected by the Court on the grounds of insufficient consultation.
Against a backdrop of the Royal Parks becoming a charity in 2017 and the Parks’ continuing need to raise money through large events, especially Frieze and Frieze Masters and Taste of London, the main things occurring when Ianthe was chairman were:
Administrative updating
Friends went through the process, to convert the manually administered membership process into an online system; aided by volunteer Alan Martin. The subscription was raised to £20 the first change since 1991. Paper membership “cards” showing an expiry date replaced the oval enamel badges.
Support for a range of park activities & the the Bandstand Concerts
Contributions were made to the refurbishment of the Bandstand, where many Friends acted as site supervisors at concerts. Other contributions made by the Friends included the allotment garden; purchasing new wildfowl; planting new cherry trees in Chester Road; the creation of a bird identification noticeboard; the Open Air Theatre, and to the new Snowden Aviary Colobus monkey project.
Membership Survey
Surveys showed that Friends’ top priority was to preserve its beauty. In response to the question “What would you like the Friends to do?”, more walks covering birds, trees and plants were organised. Members were also asked about themselves. Over 65% had been members for over a decade. More than 80% lived within 15 minutes’ walk of the Park, 9% lived in the Park and its Terraces and 80% came to the park on foot, – 6% by cycle and 12% by car.
Responses to key consultations especially on HS2 and on CS11
HS2: In 2016 Friends unsuccessfully petitioned the House of Lords against HS2. A third of the Zoo carpark was cut off for Thames Water to make preparatory works for HS2, to be followed by 16 or 17 years of use as a lorry holding area. The breeding hedgehog colony in the Park favours the Zoo Car park, and could potentially be endangered.
CS11: TfL’s formal consultation period on CS11 launched in February 2016. The proposed cycle superhighway was intended to go from Swiss Cottage to central London. The Friends response argued that there were many other ways of making the Outer Circle safer for cyclists without shutting the gates: for example reducing the speed limit to 20mph. Many authorities with conflicting interests in and around the Park could not agree, and the scheme was overturned when Westminster took an injunction against TFL to prevent them modifying the Swiss Cottage gyratory. The Royal Parks did apply for the necessary legislation to change the speed limit to 20 mph.
Mark took over in November 2019 just before the onset of the Coronavirus. TRP issued their draft Movement Strategy that foresaw a reduction of through traffic from the Park that was strongly supported by the Friends. During Covid, Primrose Hill became popular place for all night raves and the Royal Parks and the Police faced difficulties responding to complaints from residents living near the Hill.
Despite difficulties arising from holding remote committee meetings using Zoom, between 2019 and 2023 membership grew from 700 to 1200. New initiatives were taken including a new website designed to improve the experience of Park visitors, the creation of extensive Events and Volunteering programmes, a summer Visitor Information centre at Clarence Gate, and replacement of the online administrative system to much better support the Friend’s needs.
Dame Joan Bakewell
The first patron of the Friends was Joan Bakewell, now Baroness Bakewell who held the position from 1991 to 2006. She has lived in Primrose Hill and the North London area for years, at the time working as a prominent broadcaster and journalist.
Judy Hillman
Judy lived in Primrose Hill for 50 years, and had a thorough knowledge of the Park, its history and how it developed.
This knowledge was invaluable to each Chair and to the committee. In her working life she was an active journalist working for a technical journal called the “Muck Shifter and Public Works”. After that she joined the Evening Standard where she progressed to become chief leader writer, and later working for the Guardian, Observer and Taylor Woodrow.
Her specialist knowledge of Regent’s Park resulted in an invitation to be a member of the Royal Parks Review Group chaired by Dame Jennifer Jenkins. The Group looked at all eight Royal Parks, and Judy was responsible for writing five reports published between 1992 and 1996.
Judy was an active participant in the Friends and oversaw the many changes summarised in the history of the Friends above. The Friends were fortunate to have Judy as such an active and knowledgeable Patron.
Linda Lennon CBE
Linda became Patron in November 2020. She was born in Surrey in 1963. To fund a ‘gap year’ before university she took a job as an administrative officer for Croydon County Court.
By 2003, she had become Area Director for the 28 London Civil and Family Courts. It was during this time that Linda got to know Regent’s Park well as she worked nearby. In 2009 Linda was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Parole Board.
In Olympic Year 2012, Linda was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Parks, a position she held for three years. During this time, she laid the groundwork for transferring responsibility for the Royal Parks from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to the Royal Parks Charity that was created in 2017. In 2015 Boris Johnson, then Mayor of London appointed her Chief Executive Officer for the Olympic Stadium.
Linda’s experience at The Royal Parks and the CEPC, and her association with numerous political figures in local and national government, make her the perfect person to oversee the Friends. Described as jolly and sunny, Linda’s bubbly character soon makes her a friend of those she meets. Her interests are wide, and varied, so she particularly loves the diversity Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill offers.
Park Managers – David Castleton/Nick Biddle
Our History would not be complete without thanking the Park Managers with who the Friends have worked since 1991. David Castleton was appointed in 1980 and was Park manager for 27 years. Nick Biddle took over in 2007 and has since been in the position.
We are grateful for the enthusiastic support the Park managers have given to the Friends over the past 28 years. Without their support, the Friends could not have made such major contributions to help create the wonderful Park that now exists today.
Over the years there have been many people who – other than the Chairs – have devoted their knowledge and time to help the Friends succeed. The following list mentions a few but by no means includes them all:
Ivor Kamlish – over 20 years on the Committee and a major contributor to almost 100 Newsletters. Ivor’s wonderful artwork has been appreciated by all
Marion Kamlish – for her enthusiasm about everything from Honey to Hedgehogs
Stephen Crisp – on the Committee for over 20 years and master of everything horticultural
Michael Goldhill – Treasurer from 1991 to 1998 and always a keen supporter of the Friends
Richard Portnoy – as treasurer for 10 years an enthusiastic member of the Bandstand team
Diana Newman – who meticulously prepared the minutes of dozens of Committee meetings
Anna Kafetz – for constant support to her husband Malcolm Kafetz
Margaret Elliott – the Membership secretary who raise the enrolment to over 1000 and contributor to numerous Newsletters
Anne-Marie Craven – as editor of almost 50 Newsletters and leader of many walks through the Park
Ann Muller – Researcher and archivist who wrote numerous studies of houses, statues, trees etc.
Final Note
As can be seen from the History, the Friends have not always agreed with TRP and their Park manager, but the 1993 Constitution of the Friends and article 2(iii) reads:
(iii) To scrutinise and review the way the Park is administered with particular reference to the standards of landscape gardening whether at the planning or execution stage.
This constitutional aim had a major influence on the creation of the wonderful Park that exists today, especially during the Friends 2008 opposition to the GOALs project for 5-aside football pitches. Not only did it preserve a wonderful area of green space at the north end of the Park – but in 2019 the GOALS company collapsed having overstated its profits by £40 million, and had been de-listed by the London Stock Exchange. It is hard to imagine what would have happened to this sports centre as this situation evolved. We should be proud that the Friends, led by Chairman Malcolm Kafetz stood tough in the face of intense pressure – something we continue to do today.
Thank you to our sponsors
©2024 Friends of Regent’s Park & Primrose Hill
Friends of Regent’s Park & Primrose Hill is a registered charity in England and Wales (no 1201666)
