A full slate of local politicians from all parties attended. All condemned the plans as likely to hit the elderly and the less well-off particularly.

There follows some photos of the event. If, like Riversniffers, you are against these plans you will find suggested actions at the end of this post.

Signing a petition against the parking charges

Susan Kramer, MP for Richmond Park spoke agains the plan, as did Vince Cable

Deborah Thomas, Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Twickenham, signs the petition

As does Zac Goldsmith, Conservative parliamentary candidate for Richmond Park

and local resident Sir Trevor Macdonald

The petition fills up...

United in opposition to the plan

It's not just Richmond Park that will be affected

A bike with a message

That about sums it up

If you disagree with the proposed charges, you can write to Margaret Hodge, the government minister dealing with the matter. Her address is: Rt Hon Margaret Hodge MBE, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA Or if you want to email her  a quick Google search will pull up the necessary contact details.

But our local MPs point out that the Royal Parks Commission is the most arrogant quango, and having discussed the matter with Ms Hodge, they are not optimistic that her mind can be changed either.

But introducing the charges will need an act of Parliament, which will not happen before a general election. Both Conservatives and LDs are opposed to the scheme, so it may be that if the government changes in May people may continue to use these priceless assets  freely, as they always have done.

Fingers crossed.

The Mayor of London is giving ten grants of up to £400,000 to London’s most needy parks to make them cleaner, safer, greener, and nicer places to visit. Londoners are now invited to vote for which parks win an award.

There are forty seven candidate parks, which have been divided into five London sub-regions, North West, North, North East, South East and South West.

In the South West sub-region, there are ten candidate parks, and the one on our patch is Crane Park. Statistically, Crane Park will have about a one in five chance of winning  a grant. Unless of course we shorten the odds by getting everyone we know to vote for it!

Crane Park – winter

Crane Park – The Shot Tower

To save you typing in the voting link, it is here. Voting closes on 30th January 2009.

Please forward on the voting link or this post to your friends and ask them to vote for our local park!

There is a hill beside the silver Thames

Shady with birch and beech and odorous pine;

And brilliant underfoot with thousand gems.

Steeply the thickets to his floods decline.

Robert Bridges – Poet Laureate

There won’t be much text in this post.

It’s just a celebration in pictures of the wonderful job that Richmond Council’s Leisure Services Department has done in renovating, landscaping and replanting the Terrace Gardens.

A great place to sit on a bench and read the paper. Or to lie on the grass and imbibe a tinny or two. Or (as Riversniffers witnessed) have a full blown al fresco meal complete with hampers, bottles of wine and tables and chairs

 Or one can visit the Hollyhock Cafe (see separate review on this site)

With over 100 parks and open spaces to manage in the borough, it’s a big job to keep on top of the work.

But it should be said that the Council’s Leisure Services Department has excelled itself.

The Verdict

Richmond’s own Itchycoo Park (and you know what they did there…)

Other Notes

Follow the link here for more information on the project, and here for opening times