Crane Park in Hanworth has been handed more than £400,000 for improvements after being voted a worthy recipient by thousands of local residents.
The park's littlest fans headed to the riverside last week to see London Mayor Boris Johnson hand over the cheque - and they had plenty of suggestions on how to spent the windfall.
The children, from nearby Crane Park Primary School, in Hanworth, were among the first to hear that their beloved park was among 10 London spaces to win cash prizes.
"This is a historic moment for the fulfillment of a pledge to support London's parks," Mr Johnson told the crowd of children and councillors. "Ten thousand Londoners voted to decide who should get these awards and it's been a triumph of democracy. I'm very pleased Crane Park is among the winners."
A total of 47 parklands were short-listed and Crane Valley Park received 6,677 votes - the highest of all the contenders.
Boris Johnson's announcement delighted the teams of volunteers from Hounslow and Richmond who have supported the riverside regeneration for decades.
Cllr Linda Nakamura told the Chronicle: "We are all delighted. This prize money will mean a new lease of life for Crane Park and will encourage the public to enjoy the improved open space."
She said that every good idea would be considered - ranging from cycling, jogging, horse-riding or just sitting reading or watching the wildlife.
Carlo Laurenzi, of the London Wildlife Trust, helped prepare the application. On hearing the announcement, he said: "This day is great news for the hundreds of volunteers who have put the River Crane on the map."
Crane Park Primary's head teacher, Sue Hardwick, described the park as a 'hidden gem' and said it was a wonderful place for children without gardens to learn about nature. She added: "I think having a place like this near the school gives us all a balance of life."
The pupils and staff of Crane Park School had plenty of ideas about how the cash should be spent. Here are just a few:
Jaime-Lou Nugent, six, of Feltham, said : "I'd like to see more animals, because I like lovely little doggies. I think I'd like to see loads of seats to sit on when I'm tired but I'd also like the trees to be cut down."
Mohamed Hamdani, six, said: "Lots of swings would be a really good idea and all children would like that very much indeed.'
Naheed Rahman, six, said: "It would be good to clear up all rubbish. Rabbits and birds are the favourite of most children so maybe you could have lots of them."
Sukhmeet Sraeen said: "What about a tree house, and then we could go up and be among the birds, and see how they live."
Teacher Neal Willis said: "We're very much a school that believes in learning in a hands-on way. Not all my pupils are often taken to parkland and I hope they see another life than the world of home computers by coming here."
