In this episode, London National Park City Ranger Nancy Turner shares the story of how Heston Action Group grew from simple litter picks into a thriving community garden and a wider movement to “green the grey”.

Nancy talks about:

• How the group started, and how volunteering on Sunday mornings helped shape the space
• The reality of community gardening, big jobs, limited hands, and learning as you go
• A sustainable drainage planting scheme, and the joy of seeing it thrive
• Nancy’s Ranger project, Pocket Gardens, turning depaved pavement patches into mini habitats
• How the London National Park City show garden at RHS Hampton Court helped unlock donated plants for local greening
• A small grant supporting edging, signage and explaining the “why” behind the pocket gardens
• The missed opportunities when pavements get fully tarmacked instead of leaving verges or tree pits
• The bigger challenge of front gardens being paved over, and the need for a proper local campaign
• Skills sharing, training, and workshops that helped build confidence (plus the eternal regret of not taking better notes!)
• New infrastructure on site, including a gazebo and compost toilet, opening the door to longer sessions and more community events
• Ambitions for film nights, workshops, more partner organisations using the space, and welcoming school visits back

Explore more London National Park City Podcasts