Met confirms Royal Parks Police WILL be disbanded, leaving Richmond and Bushy Parks without dedicated policing team
#04: Chelsea could play at Twickenham for 7 years, cyclists urged to slow down in Richmond and Bushy Parks, Richmond’s heroes honoured at Community Heroes Awards, Lidl across Richmond borough, Richmond gymnasts win European medals for GB, special VE Day 80 discovery visit at The Poppy Factory, VE Day Garden Party in Hampton, evening with Aggers & Tuffers at Richmond Theatre, snap your best Richmond photo and win, Dads and Babies yoga class at ETNA in Twickenham, Kew Village Market and Ham Parade Market return, volunteer at Richmond Arts and Ideas Festival, IKEA and meatballs on Oxford Street, and more.
START WITH A SMILE: Stuff to cheer us up
Nepal’s snow leopard numbers show stable population, reveals new study: In a landmark assessment based on data compiled from seven regions, Nepal has announced its national estimate of the elusive snow leopard population at 397 individuals. This is the first robust estimate of the country’s snow leopard population and is vital for informing future strategies to conserve this threatened species.
LOCAL STORIES: Stuff you need to know
Met confirms Royal Parks Police WILL be disbanded, leaving Richmond and Bushy Parks without dedicated policing team: Citing a £260 million funding gap, the Metropolitan Police has confirmed the disbanding of the Royal Parks policing team by 1 November. In a letter sent to Richmond Council, the Met explained the duties previously carried out by the Royal Parks Police will now be undertaken by the local neighbourhood teams. Taking to the social media platform X, Leader of Richmond Council Gareth Roberts has described the decision as “a dangerous and short-sighted move that will make Royal Parks visitors less safe.” MP for Richmond Park Sarah Olney writing on Instagram blamed the government: “The government should have provided the Metropolitan Police with sufficient funding to have ensured that these cuts were not on the table.”
Chelsea could play at Twickenham for 7 years, RFU open to hosting games: England’s Rugby Football Union (RFU) boss Bill Sweeney is open to hosting Chelsea at Twickenham while the Premier League club redevelops Stamford Bridge, reports The Independent. While no discussions have taken place, RFU hopes to expand the number of events it is able to host each year as it looks to raise funds for its own £600m redevelopment of the Allianz Stadium. Richmond Council is reported to be concerned about the potential impact on local residents and numbers of fans attending games and, consequently, Chelsea’s potential temporary move to Twickenham is unlikely to receive support from the council, reports The Standard. Chelsea has not yet revealed a timetable for redevelopment of its current stadium which could take up to seven years to complete, reports the Mirror.
Cyclists urged to slow down in Richmond and Bushy Parks and other Royal Parks: The Royal Parks charity has launched ‘Considerate Cycling’ campaign to encourage cyclists to be more considerate and stick to 20mph speed limit including in Richmond and Bushy Parks. The campaign follows recent research that found almost three-quarters of pedestrians surveyed in London had witnessed or experienced a near miss or collision with a cyclist. The campaign is backed by the Royal Parks charity’s new code of conduct that all cyclists entering the parks should adhere to, asking cyclists to:
Respect the park environment
Respect all park visitors
Control their speed
Know the rules – comply with the Highway Code and Park Regulations
Be seen and be heard
Richmond’s heroes honoured at Community Heroes Awards: From saving surplus food to fighting hunger, to protecting green spaces and helping to uplift the most vulnerable among us, some of Richmond borough’s most inspiring grassroots initiatives were celebrated on 29 April at the 2025 Community Heroes Awards. With more than 150 nominations across 10 categories, the awards showcased powerful stories of compassion, innovation and leadership from every corner of the borough. Full list of winners is available here – below are just some of the winners:
Communities Together – Cocoon – Care After Care
Community Group of the Year – Richmond Soup Kitchen
Community Project of the Year – Vine Road Community Growing Project
Community Spirit Award – Jamie Toma
Outstanding Volunteer Award – Shane Forrester
Trustee of the Year – Kate McCormack
Richmond borough among 243 London neighbourhoods where Lidl wants to open new stores: Lidl is set to open 40 new stores over the next year but has ambition to open over 200 locations across the capital including Richmond borough, reports MyLondon. Every part of the borough is on the popular budget supermarket chain’s wish list including Barnes, East Sheen, Mortlake, Ham, Hampton, Richmond town centre, Teddington and Twickenham. Soon, residents could have their very own local 'Middle of Lidl' aisle to discover new power tools and inflatables!
Richmond gymnasts bring home European medals for GB: Richmond’s gymnasts enjoyed a great Acrobatic European Championships in Luxembourg this April, representing Great Britain and bringing home silver and bronze medals. In a first for the club, three partnerships from Richmond Gymnastics (RGA) represented Great Britain at Senior level. Securing silver medal for the RGA’s Senior Men’s Group were Louis Alexander (19), Freddie Turner (20), Rex Booth (19) and Samuel Ditchburn (18).
LOCAL DEMOCRACY: Stuff that affects your neighbourhood
Richmond Council – May calendar of meetings: Six meetings are scheduled for May as of today, 1 May. Residents can attend these in person or watch the proceedings online – details are available here.
North West London Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee – 1 May
Licensing Sub-Committee – 8 May
Policy and Performance Review Board – 8 May
Annual Council, Council – 13 May
Licensing Sub-Committee – 15 May
Planning Committee – 21 May
COMMUNITY, CULTURE & EVENTS: Stuff to do, experience and enjoy
Special VE Day 80 discovery visit at The Poppy Factory: As we approach VE Day on 8 May, this Tuesday 6 May The Poppy Factory is hosting a special VE Day discovery afternoon for individuals and small groups. This is a ticketed event and open to children with an accompanying adult. More details and booking details are available here.
VE Day 80th Anniversary Garden Party in Hampton: Join local residents at St Mary’s Church in Hampton to mark Victory in Europe Day on Saturday 10 May. As well as photographic display of Hampton during WW2, there’ll be a traditional English tea tent, BBQ, bouncy castle, live music and an opportunity to visit the church’s bell ringing room. Festivities start at 11am.
Invitation to spend an evening with Aggers & Tuffers at Richmond Theatre: Cricket legends Aggers and Tuffers are back for another innings as they take to stage at Richmond Theatre this Monday 5 May, as part of their highly anticipated 2026 tour. With a collective career of over 5 decades, Aggers and Tuffers have remained connected to the sporting world as commentators and media personalities. Jonathan "Aggers" Agnew, former England international and the iconic BBC cricket correspondent and Phil "Tuffers" Tufnell, the record-breaking former England spin bowler, will have you in stitches with their outrageous tales.
Snap your best Richmond photo and win! Community-driven photo challenge, Be Inspired, invites you to showcase your favourite photo of Richmond – one that you’ve personally taken. Open to budding photographers regardless of photography experience, you can enter your photo into one of three categories, Green Space, High Street or Riverside. Whether it’s a candid moment in Richmond Park, the shimmering river on a summer’s day, or a charming shopfront that caught your eye, submit your photo here for a chance to win a £150 voucher to sticks'n'sushi and have your work featured in Be Richmond campaigns.
Dads and babies yoga class at ETNA, Twickenham: By popular demand Mama Hugz is hosting another Daddy & Me Baby Yoga Class this Sunday 4 May at ETNA Community Centre in Twickenham. A perfect chance to bond, stretch and enjoy a playful calming time together, the class is designed to offer a fun and relaxed yoga session.
Kew Village Market is back this Sunday: Kew Village Market returns to Station Parade this Sunday 4 May with around 50 stalls and great live music from local acts. Discover award-winning food and hand-made crafts and gifts and more. Run by local volunteers, Kew Village Market donates all profits to local good causes and has shared over £100k among neighbourhood charities since its launch in 2011.
Ham Parade Market returns on Saturday: This Saturday is the first Saturday of the month. So, it must be time for Ham Parade Market. Run by the community for the community, Ham Parade Market returns all profits to improving Ham parade and making local high street a success. Residents and visitors can enjoy a variety of fresh produce, food from around the world, hand-crafted gifts, plants and more. And you’ll be helping to keep your local high street alive!
Volunteer and be a part of the 2025 Richmond Arts and Ideas Festival: Richmond Arts and Ideas Festival 2025 returns in June with Culture Reforesting as its theme. Organisers are looking for passionate volunteers to bring this vibrant celebration to life. Roles on offer include assisting with event set-up and stewarding, supporting artists and performers, engaging audiences, providing behind-the-scenes festival support and more. Find out more and how to volunteer here.
SPORTS DAY: Stuff about enjoying your local teams
Harlequins, Gallagher Premiership Rugby: A 40-7 defeat last Saturday to second-place Leicester Tigers means a third consecutive league defeat for Harlequins as they slip a place to eighth in the table. While the visitors were reduced to 14 men, the home side were dominant, particularly in the second half. The recent loss in the Investec Champions Cup makes it four back-to-back losses for Quins. Saturday 10 May sees Quins host fifth-place Gloucester.
Hampton & Richmond FC, Vanarama National League South: A third consecutive loss last weekend saw the Beavers close the season on an unhappy note, finishing in 18th place in the table. A 1-0 defeat on the road to Slough last Saturday brought the curtains down on a disappointing year. However, with recent off-the-field events that saw the ownership of club transition to a group of existing investors and the departure of Rafaele and Stefano Petruzzo, the forthcoming season represents a fresh start. Action returns late summer 2025.
LONDON CALLING: Stuff to do, experience and enjoy in the big smoke
IKEA on Oxford Street: ‘Chuck out your Chintz’ was the instruction in IKEA’s old ads, the Swedish retailer that opened its first store in Warrington, Cheshire, in October 1987. Nearly four decades later and having furnished the nation’s homes in Scandinavian inspired designs, the store that is now as famous for its flatpack furniture as it is for its meatballs, has opened a new store in the most famous shopping street in the world, Oxford Street.
WHAT ELSE? Stuff we couldn’t quite fit anywhere else but thought you’d still find interesting
Missed out on Glasto? Here are some major festivals you may have better luck with: The final batch of resale tickets for Glastonbury Festival went on sale last Sunday at 9.00am. By 9.20am they were all gone. So, if you’ve missed out on Glasto again, here some equally major music festivals, courtesy of The Guardian, where you may still have a chance of securing a ticket.
