For two weeks in a row, volunteers from BNP Paribas UK made their way to Regent’s Park for a morning of hard conservation work.

The teams worked in the old Golf and Tennis Centre to clear the area of invasive weeds. Thistles in particular tend to take over, preventing the growth of other plants. On the 11 July, a group of 12 battled against the elements—both sunshine and heavy rain—to remove thistles, helping increase plant diversity in the area.

The following week, with slightly improved weather conditions, a new group focused on weeding out the native hedgerow bordering the edge of the site, which had lots of weedy species growing over the young whips that had been planted a year ago.

Sara Harrison, Projects Officer from the Royal Parks Foundation, said “The difference is amazing! Thistle removal can be a slightly mundane task but everyone remained so hard working throughout the day… The hedgerow and these young whips, including roses, apple trees, hawthorn, spindle and blackthorn now have lots of sunlight flooding in (particularly this week!) and can now grow without competition. The Regent’s Park team is keen to keep working on this site to make it a natural reserve for wildlife to take refuge and thrive in. It will need annual maintenance to keep a diverse range of species, so we’re hugely grateful for your volunteers in helping us to keep on top of the work.”