A crowdfunding campaign to turn London into the world's first National Park City has been launched.
The campaign, set up on crowdfunder.co.uk, outlines initiatives and proposals that will be put forward if the funding goal is reached.
Aiming for £30,000 to be raised by June 14, the 'Let's make Greater London a National Park City' campaign will submit a broadsheet proposal of the goals it hopes to achieve along with stunning pictures of London's wildlife and green spaces.
Daniel Raven-Ellison, who's spearheading the campaign, said it all started with a simple walk through London: “I went on a walk this time last year from Kingswood, in Croydon, to High Barnett; passing though London's woodlands I saw woodpeckers, deer, snakes, and all kinds of animals but to my surprise, I didn't see or hear any children in the woods.
"One in seven London parents haven't taken their child to a London green space in the last year.”
Daniel decided that starting a campaign to turn the capital into a National Park City would help change this statistic for the better.
“One thing that inspires me and other Londoners with this campaign is that a National Park City will connect 100% of the children to nature," he said. "This will make kids healthier and improve their education.
“There'll be loads of benefits in terms of west London. It will increase our prosperity as 90% of visitors to the capital only visit the top 20 attractions in central London.
“Having a national park city would bring tourism to west London. There will also be better air quality and more green space.”
"We want to make our city better and healthier"
Daniel explains that London as a National Park City will only bring benefits, with no cost to the public purse.
“Why wouldn't we do it? It's not adding an administrative layer or a burden, there's no cost to the public purse as we'll have corporate sponsorship to pay, so why wouldn't you?" he added.
“What is special about a National Park City is that it's about Londoners coming together and saying yes, we want to make our city better and healthier.
“People need to ask for it to make it happen, we aren’t suggesting stopping things from happening, we are suggesting a solution.”
With endorsements from celebrities such as Bill Oddie and Stephen Fry, the crowdfunding project is gaining momentum and has been brought to the attention of many Londoners.
If you would like to contribute to the project, please visit the 'Let's make Greater London a National Park City' crowdfunding page.
