Barnes Hospital gets £30m investment boost, set to become hub for mental health and education services
#12: Richmond faces council tax hikes as funding redirected to North and Midlands, Richmond among boroughs with lowest threshold for petitions to be heard by the Full Council, TfL research shows 20mph speed limits save lives, Thames Water nationalisation prep 'stepped up', Charles Dance, Geraldine James, and Nicholas Farrell reunite at the OT, In Conversation at Kew Gardens returns with a star-studded lineup, Fearne Cotton's Happy Place Festival, Marzamemi Festival brings Sicilian summer to Richmond, Richmond Art Society Summer Exhibition returns to Landmark Arts Centre, St Margarets Fair returns to Moormead Park, Ted’s Market is back this Saturday, East Sheen Garden Market returns this July, community BBQ and picnic at Strawberry Hill House, Teddington Comedy by Pink Peach Comedy Club, Richmond Arts & Ideas Festival closes this Sunday, free garden open days at Hampton Court Palace, London Climate Action Week, winning design revealed for a new national memorial honouring Queen Elizabeth II, and more.
Hello and welcome to another issue of Love Richmond packed with local stories and what’s on in and around Richmond.
A quick note to say that I’ll be taking a couple of weeks off, but will be back with the next issue of Love Richmond around mid-July.
Wishing you lots of sunshine and summer joy!
AH
START WITH A SMILE: Stuff to cheer us up
Conservation efforts bearing fruit: With Britain languishing in the bottom 10% of countries when it comes to the intactness of its biodiversity, threat to wildlife across the globe, and ‘drill baby drill’ mantra from across the pond, you may be forgiven for thinking things are only getting worse. Well, here are reasons to be optimistic courtesy of the Rewilding Futures conference held recently in Cambridge. Its organisers, Citizen Zoo, highlighted stories that show signs of a turning tide. Mozambique, ravaged by civil war in the 80s, has seen wildlife recover to above pre-war numbers. In South America, Conservation Land Trust has helped buy back large swathes of land to create 19 million sq km devoted to nature. Britain has more nature reserves now than McDonalds restaurants. And Atlantic bluefin tuna numbers are up by 400%. Something to smile about indeed!
LOCAL STORIES: Stuff you need to know
Barnes Hospital gets £30m investment boost, set to become a hub for mental health and education services: Richmond’s Barnes Hospital is set to become a hub for high-quality mental health and education services, thanks to a major £30 million investment, with construction officially launched on Tuesday, 24 June, at a ground breaking ceremony attended by patients, carers, NHS staff, and councillors. This milestone marks the start of a significant redevelopment led by South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust, in partnership with LocatED, the Department for Education’s property delivery body. Vanessa Ford, Chief Executive of South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust, said:
“Today marks the next step in our journey to deliver modern, community-facing mental healthcare for the people of Richmond. We want to create inclusive new spaces to deliver better environments and better care for our patients, now and in the future.”
Richmond faces council tax hikes as funding redirected to North and Midlands: Wealthier suburban London boroughs such as Richmond face council tax hikes of over 5% or a hit to services under a £2bn funding change to town hall funding, reports LBC. The proposed financial reforms could see funding channelled to more deprived and rural areas and are set to benefit the North and Midlands. Changes to business rates retention system could further hit London boroughs which collect large amounts of business rates compared to many other parts of the country. LBC quotes the local government minister Jim McMahon: “We will work with councils to fix what is broken, moving around £2 billion of funding to the places and communities that need it most and modernising council tax administration.”
Richmond among boroughs with lowest threshold for a petition to be heard by the Full Council: Petition rules in some London boroughs give virtually no chance of Full Council hearing, effectively denying voice to residents. Richmond, however, is among London boroughs with lowest threshold for a petition where the Full Council will debate the subject – 1,000 signatures will get your petition in front of the Full Council. This compares to 10,000 signatures for Wandsworth, 5,000 for Hammersmith and Fulham, 2,500 for Kensington and Chelsea. However, of the 127 petitions submitted to Richmond Council since 2010, to date, only 7 have reached the threshold. Case for lowering the threshold?
TfL research shows 20mph speed limits save lives on London’s roads: Most roads across London Borough of Richmond now have 20mph speed limit. The introduction of this lower speed limit from 30mph has not always been welcomed by all drivers. However, analysis by Transport for London of more than 150 20mph schemes implemented between 1989 and 2013 shows that people killed or seriously injured on borough roads reduced by 34 per cent following implementation of 20mph speed limits. TfL’s report shows that 20mph schemes significantly reduced the number of deaths and serious injury, including:
40% reduction in the number of people killed
34% reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured
75% reduction in the number of children killed
35% reduction in collisions.
Thames Water nationalisation prep 'stepped up': The government has ‘stepped up’ its preparations for the potential temporary nationalisation of Thames Water, reports BBC. Speaking in Parliament, the environment secretary Steve Reed said the government "stand ready for all eventualities." The embattled utility company’s future was thrown into doubt when the US private equity giant KKR pulled out of a £4bn rescue deal. A £17bn plan for the recapitalisation of the water company has now been submitted to Ofwat by the Thames Water Creditor Group. Thames Water serves about quarter of the UK’s population including London.
LOCAL DEMOCRACY: Stuff that affects your neighbourhood
Have your say on proposal to install lighting at Tangier Green Play Area: Richmond Council is proposing to install lights at Tangier Green Play Area, North Sheen. These lights would be equipped with sensors to automatically turn on at sunset and remain lit in the early evening when young children would be using the play area. After this time, the lights will be switched off to discourage use of the playground later in the evenings by others not for its intended purpose. Share your views on the proposal here.
COMMUNITY, CULTURE & EVENTS: Stuff to do, experience and enjoy
Charles Dance, Geraldine James, and Nicholas Farrell reunite at the Orange Tree Theatre: Creditors, a devastating comic thriller about marriage and manipulation, reunites Charles Dance, Geraldine James, and Nicholas Farrell for the first time since The Jewel in the Crown. Stars of both the small and big screen and having all starred in RSC productions, the three will be treading the boards at the Orange Tree Theatre in Howard Brenton’s adaptation of August Strindberg’s Creditors. Guaranteed to sell out fast, bookings are open now for the month-long production. On from 6 September to 11 October 2025.
In Conversation at Kew Gardens returns with a star-studded lineup: Kew Gardens outdoor talk series, In Conversation at Kew Gardens, returns this September with ‘big conversations, beautiful surroundings, picnic, performance and culture.’ From 4 to 7 September, the four-day event features lively conversation, behind-the-scenes stories, gardening insights, Roman scandals, quickfire quizzes and TV icons. The lineup includes Richard Osman, Alexander Armstrong, Tom Holland, Mary Beard, Adam Frost, Frances Tophill, Matt Baker, John Craven, and more. Full details are available here.
Fearne Cotton's Happy Place Festival returns this July: The ultimate feel-good event featuring inspiring talks, live podcast recordings, yoga, sound healing, creative workshops and live performances returns to Gunnersbury Park on 12 & 13 July. Guests this year include Davina McCall, Dame Kelly Holmes, Scott Thomas, Vogue Williams, Jordan Stephens, Millie Mackintosh, and many more. Further details including full programme of events for the weekend are available here.
Marzamemi Festival brings Sicilian summer to Richmond this July: Marzamemi Festival brings the beautiful coastal town of Marzamemi, Sicily, to Old Deer Park in Richmond for an epic 2-day food & music festival on 5 & 6 July. Enjoy la dolce vita on your doorstep with live Italian music and DJs, traditional Italian banquets and food stalls, local delicacies, innovative fashion, and plenty of family-friendly activities for the kids. More information and booking details are available here.
Richmond Art Society Summer Exhibition returns to Landmark Arts Centre, Teddington: Richmond Art Society’s Summer Exhibition returns to the Landmark Arts Centre in Teddington from June 26 to 29. The free-to-attend exhibition features over 60 local artists offering a wide range of art for sale, from watercolours and oils to ceramics and sculpture.
St Margarets Fair returns to Moormead Park: St Margarets Fair celebrates its 45th anniversary as it returns to Moormead Park on Saturday 5 July. A great day out for the whole family, this year’s event also features historic meeting of the surviving 1900 Twickenham built New Orleans Voiturettes – hopefully all five (four already confirmed). Other Twickenham, Teddington and Hampton built cars, motorcycles, racing cars and vehicles with a strong Twickenham connection have also been invited. And if you do you have a vehicle or piece of local motoring memorabilia that might add to the event, get in touch with organisers here.
Ted’s Market is back this Saturday: Neighbourhood food market supporting local traders and producers is back this Saturday, 28 June. And there’s an exciting addition to the roster of traders – Sea Sisters, the UK’s first cannery since 1940. Sea Sisters was set up by Charlotte Dawe and Angus Cowen (ex-Trullo, ex-Rochelle Canteen) in 2020. Their British conservas include cuttlefish caponata, Cornish hake with rosemary and capers and Norfolk whelks in kimchi sauce. You’ll also find morning buns, homemade brownies and cakes, award-winning curries and samosas, and fresh fish plus organic fruit and veg, and more. More info here.
East Sheen Garden Market returns this July: The ever popular East Sheen Saturday Garden Market returns on Saturday 5 July. Hosted by East Sheen Village and The Hare & Hounds, the community-driven pop-up garden market offers a vibrantly-decorated space where visitors can explore an array of locally made goods including candles, jewellery, craft, children's books and more.
Community BBQ and picnic at Strawberry Hill House: Enjoy the summer with BBQ and picnic on Sunday, 29 July, as Strawberry Hill Residents Association marks its 60th anniversary and celebrates 15 years since the reopening of Strawberry Hill House. BYO picnic and enjoy Argentine-style BBQ, live music, fairy trail in the Woodland Walk, kids’ entertainment and more. Further details and booking information are available here.
Teddington Comedy by Pink Peach Comedy Club is back: Pink Peach Comedy Club’s monthly comedy gig returns on Friday, 4 July, at the Red Lion, Teddington. Taking place every first Friday of the month, each show brings the best comedians on the circuit alongside some of the biggest headliners in the UK, including some names you may recognise from TV! More details are available here.
Richmond Arts & Ideas Festival closes this Sunday: Richmond’s biggest culture festival closes this Sunday, 29 June. But there are still plenty of events to enjoy between now and then, including:
Gardens Without Borders – Hounslow Heath
The River Sublime – Richmond
Beuys’ Acorns Oak Circle – Hampton Common
Cultural Reforesting Exhibition – Orleans House Gallery, Twickenham
Exchange Comedy Club: Climate Change is No Joke – The Exchange, Twickenham
Chalk the Walk: A Colourful Street Celebration – Twickenham
The Music of Trees – OSO Arts Centre, Barnes
Our Riverbed exhibition, Orleans House Gallery – Twickenham
Free garden open days at Hampton Court Palace: There are plenty of free garden days to enjoy the palace’s permanent gardens from now to the end of the year. Here are the dates for the rest of 2025:
01 July to 06 July
13 September to 14 September
18 October to 19 October
22 November to 23 November
26 December (The Wilderness garden only)
Reminder: Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival is less than one week away: RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival 2025 returns on 1 July with stunning designer gardens, incredible plants and flowers, summer family fun, shopping and entertainment and plenty of inspiration and expert advice. Tickets are still available for both members and non-members – more information and previews are available here.
LONDON CALLING: Stuff to do, experience and enjoy in the big smoke
London Climate Action Week: London Climate Action Week returns with over 700 in-person and virtual events and more than 45,000 expected attendees. It aims to harness the unique power of London for global and local climate action, and mobilise the capital’s ecosystem of climate and non-climate organisations to accelerate global climate action. On now until 29 June 2025 – there are still plenty of events to take part in.
WHAT ELSE? Stuff we couldn’t quite fit anywhere else but thought you’d still find interesting
Winning design revealed for a new national memorial honouring Queen Elizabeth II: Foster + Partners has won the competition to design a new national memorial honouring Queen Elizabeth II at London’s St James’s Park. The high-profile competition overseen by Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee (QEMC) saw Lord Norman Foster’s architecture practice beat four other designs. Foster’s winning design includes a statue of the late Queen on horseback and a bridge inspired by her tiara. The final design is expected to be unveiled in 2026, in what would have been Queen Elizabeth’s centenary year.
