Royal Parks Police to be disbanded, Kingston’s historic Half Mile Tree cut down
#36: Tolworth mental health hospital's £110m redevelopment begins, British clothing retailer Crew Clothing moves HQ to Kingston, Fire Brigades Union HQ in Norbiton to be converted into flats, Easter Special Egg Hunt in Norbiton, Kingston Repair Café is back, free entry to Kingston Open Studios, Hampton Court Palace Tulip Festival is back, St John Passion concert at All Saints Kingston, free Age-Friendly Leisure and Activities Fair comes to Chessington, Hal Cruttenden and Tony Law return to Kingston, Kingston Hospital governors elections, The Passion of Jesus in Trafalgar Square, SicilyFEST – la dolce vita in London, and more.
Hello and a very warm welcome to the newest members of the Love Kingston family. In fact, more than 220 of you beautiful people have joined over the last six weeks taking the community to 1,226 strong, and counting. Thank you for your support and thank you for your time – it means a lot to me.
A bit of admin – some of you have been in touch to say that on occasions your weekly issue of ❤️ Kingston has ended up in spam. Having spoken to a techie friend, it appears that the heart emoji might be the cause. Some email clients like Gmail and Outlook view it with suspicion and push the email into your spam folder. So, in an effort to make sure all of you receive your weekly dose of Love Kingston in your inbox, we’ve decided to drop the emoji and use ‘Love Kingston’.
Please let me know if this improves delivery and feel free to share your thoughts on Love Kingston, good and not-so-good are equally welcome.
Thank you and enjoy the sunshine! Ab
START WITH A SMILE: Stuff to cheer us up
🌲 570,000 trees are being planted in Scotland as part of nature-based solution to tackle climate change and help maintain biodiversity: The extensive tree planting is taking place across the University of Edinburgh’s land in Stirlingshire and the Pentland Hills Regional Park. Over the course of the long-term project, experts predict around 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide will be removed from the atmosphere. Working with a range of partners and landowners across Scotland, approximately 5,600 hectares of land will be regenerated.
LOCAL STORIES: Stuff you need to know
👮 Royal Parks Police to be disbanded, London Mayor blames funding shortfall: Met Police is to cut 1,700 officers to plug £260m ‘black hole’, reports the BBC. As well as officers placed in schools, the entire Royal Parks police team, which among other parks patrols Richmond Park and Bushy Park, will disappear despite overwhelming opposition from local residents and councils. Met will also make 10% cut to forensics, 11% cut to historic crimes teams and counter opening hours will also be restricted. Full details of the cuts across the Met are available on the BBC website. Detailed statement from the mayor’s office is available here.
🌳 Historic Half Mile Tree in North Kingston is cut down: The horse chestnut tree that had stood on the banks of the River Thames on Lower Ham Road, North Kingston, since 1952 has been cut down. The horse chestnut itself was a replacement for the elm tree that had stood on the same spot for over 500 years. Commonly referred to as the Half Mile Tree due to its location being half mile from Kingston town centre, it is mentioned in various trail routes including National Trust and Kingston Trails. In a statement provided to Love Kingston, Kingston Council said the horse chestnut was found to be in advanced decline and required removal. And as it had been in decline for a number of years, the council planted a replacement English oak tree a few metres from the original in winter 2020/21. We wish it a long and healthy life!
🏥 Tolworth Hospital's £110m redevelopment begins, completion expected in 2027: Work has started on the £110m redevelopment of Tolworth mental health hospital, reports MyLondon. The old buildings at Tolworth Hospital are being replaced with state-of-the-art facilities under the scheme from South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust, with building works expected to last until 2027. Overall, seven acute, older persons and specialist wards will be based at the site from late 2027. The trust also aims to break stigma around mental health by opening up the site to the community.
👕 Crew Clothing moves HQ to Kingston, bringing potential new employment opportunities for local residents: British clothing retailer Crew Clothing is moving its HQ from Wandsworth to The Drapery, Kingston, reports Retail Times. The 30-year old company that started life with a collection of rugby shirts sold out of a shop in Salcombe, saw its revenue for YE2023 jump 16% to £117m and its profits soar by over 40%. The move to Kingston is part of the retailer’s growth strategy that will see it open 20 new stores in 2025. While its current 140-strong team will occupy the bulk of The Drapery, the retailer is to offer three floors on the rental market to attract other brands to Kingston. Certainly, this move by one of the country’s most successful clothing retailer with over 120 stores across Great Britain offers considerable future employment opportunities for residents of the borough.
🏗️ Fire Brigades Union HQ in Norbiton to be converted into flats: Property developer BMR Epsom Ltd has submitted a planning application to convert Fire Brigades Union offices on Coombe Road, Norbiton, into residential accommodation. The planning application seeks permission for erection of two additional storeys in an existing office block to create 8 residential units, comprising 4 one-bedroom studios per floor. Importantly, planning permission is sought for residential units on the additional third and fourth floors only. Ground, first and second floors are not part of the application. FBU have occupied the building for 40 years and will be relocating to central London later this year.
🗳️ Kingston Hospital governors elections: Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust is seeking nominations for election to the Council of Governors. Performing a critical role in the effective running of the Foundation Trust, governors help ensure hospital’s work is in keeping with its values, meets the needs of local residents and supports all who use the hospital’s services to make it successful. If you think you could be one of the new elected governors, you can nominate yourself here. Nominations close at 5pm on Wednesday 30 April 2025.
LOCAL DEMOCRACY: Stuff that affects your neighbourhood
🛍️ Revitalising Kingston Ancient Market Place: Following its appointment by Kingston Council to operate Kingston’s Ancient Market, Between The Bridges began work on 1 April to revitalise the historic market. The council has also collated feedback from residents on their thoughts on the future of the Market Place. Some of the suggestions from residents include making better use of the Market House, enhancing the area's unique heritage, and hosting a varied market. A more detailed report of residents’ feedback is available here.
🚗 Update: Dickerage Lane proposed parking changes: Following Kingston Council’s engagement with residents to find out whether they would like to see Controlled Parking Zones in New Malden’s Dickerage Lane, California Road and surrounding streets, a report with recommendations was presented to the Kingston and North Kingston committee on 4 March 2025. However, the committee deferred any decision pending further conversations with the New and Old Malden Neighbourhood Committee. Love Kingston will update residents with any developments in due course.
COMMUNITY, CULTURE & EVENTS: Stuff to do, experience and enjoy
🐇 Easter Special Egg Hunt in Norbiton and North Kingston: Join a fun-filled Easter Egg Hunt courtesy of Norbiton and North Kingston-based local independent businesses on Saturday 5 April. With the likes of Fish Kitchen, Roz Ana, L'Assaggino, Kingston Wild Flowers, Lady D Couture and The Pottery taking part, the chocolatey hunt starts this Saturday at 12pm at Wined Up Here and finishes at Park Brew & Kitchen.
🧵 Kingston Repair Café is back: Like every first Saturday of the month, Kingston Repair Café is back this Saturday 5 April at Kingston Library. Promoting repair as an alternative to throwing things away, the Repair Café will be in session from 10.30am to 1.00pm. Visitors can bring their broken items to fix on the spot with the help of voluntary repairers. You’ll find more information for volunteers here and guidance for visitors here.
🖼️ Free entry to Kingston Open Studios: Join The Koppel Project’s Spring Open Studios this Saturday for a celebration of the local artists and makers at their Kingston Riverside studios. Enjoy a wide range of artistic disciplines, including painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking, textile art, ceramics, performance art, installation art, illustration, video & film, and more. For further details and to book your free slot for this Saturday 5 April, visit Spring Open Studios.
🌷 Hampton Court Palace Tulip Festival is back: The ever popular Hampton Court Palace Tulip Festival is back with over 100,000 tulip bulbs erupting in colour at one of the UK’s biggest displays of planted tulips. Brimming with award-winning tulips, the festival takes place from 11 April to 5 May.
🦸♂️ Supertato at Kew this Easter: Enjoy a spud-tastic family day out at Kew Gardens with Supertato and his heroic veggie friends! Based on the bestselling books by Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet, this fun-filled event invites kids to join Supertato’s Super Squad, thwart the Evil Pea and save veggies in distress. Starting this Saturday 5 April, fun goes on until 21 April. Dressing your little super heroes in capes is optional!
🎻 JS Bach’s St John Passion concert at All Saints Kingston: The Choir of All Saints Kingston will be performing Bach’s St John Passion this Saturday 5 April at All Saints Church in Kingston. First of Bach’s two surviving passion oratorios, St John Passion tells the story of the last hours of Jesus’ life, as found in the Gospels of the New Testament. The concert at All Saints Church starts at 7pm this Saturday – more details are available here.
🧘 Free Age-Friendly Leisure and Activities Fair comes to Chessington: Part of council’s Move Well Live Well campaign, Age Friendly Leisure and Activities Fair arrives at Chessington School and Sports Centre on Friday 11 April, 11.30am to 2pm. The event is a great opportunities to try a free gentle exercise taster session with a qualified instructor. There’s no need to book, simply turn up on the day.
😂 Hal Cruttenden and Tony Law return to Kingston: Join two comedy heavyweights for a laugh at The Fighting Cocks in Kingston this April. Hal Cruttenden takes to stage on Monday 7 April and Tony Law will be tickling your funny bones on 14 April.
🚲 Full Cycle Community Bike Project invites you to Chessington to get cycling this April: Whether it’s been a while since you’ve been on two wheels or you’re keen to get more active, this free, social ride is part of regular Get Cycling events to help you feel more confident on a bike while introducing you to more cycle-friendly routes around Kingston. Taking place on Friday 11 April at Chessington School, you can find our more information and book a slot here.
SPORTS DAY: Stuff about enjoying your local teams
⚽ Chelsea Women FC: Perhaps it was the toll of four consecutive games against City, or maybe the inevitable fatigue that comes from battling for the quadruple, the Blues dropped points for only the third time in the WSL this season. Hosting West Ham Women at home, Chelsea appear to be cruising to another league victory with two early goals. However, conceding just before half time and then in extra time, the game ended with honours shared with a final score of 2-2. While the gap at the top has contracted to six points, with just four games to the end of the season, it looks highly unlikely the champions are going to relinquish their title. The Blues take a well-earned rest this weekend and host Liverpool in the semi-final of the Women’s FA Cup on Saturday 12 April.
⚽ Kingstonian FC: Three consecutive league losses and the Ks have dropped to third place and are perilously hovering just six points from dropping out of the playoffs. The maths is pretty simple. Ignoring other results, the Ks need 10 points from the 5 remaining games to have a shot at promotion through the playoffs. The five opponent are Rayners Lane (11), Farnham Town (1), Horndean (16), Guernsey FC (20) and Ascot United (5). Given their respective table positions, securing 10 points from five games should be perfectly achievable. And should other results go Ks’ way, fewer points would guarantee a place in the playoffs. First of these five crucial games is this Saturday 5 April when the Ks host Rayners Lane.
LONDON CALLING: Stuff to do, experience and enjoy in the big smoke
✝️ The Passion of Jesus in Trafalgar Square: Witness the full-scale re-enactment which commemorates Good Friday, the day Jesus is believed to have been arrested, tried and crucified by the Romans. A cast of more than 100 actors and volunteers, as well as horses, donkeys and doves, come together to bring the story to life in Trafalgar Square. This free to attend event takes place on Friday 18 April, 12pm to 5pm. There are two performances and each will be livestreamed on social media – full details are available here.
WHAT ELSE? Stuff we couldn’t quite fit anywhere else but still like
🇮🇹 SicilyFEST – la dolce vita in north London: Enjoy la dolce vita at SicilyFEST London, the biggest Sicilian food and drink event in the capital. Immerse yourself in the authentic flavours of the Mediterranean, discover a world of culinary delights, including Sicilian wine, pasta, nuts, couscous, liqueurs, panelle, pizza fritta, preserves, jams, cassata, and much more. Takes place on 1-4 May at Business Design Centre in Islington - full details available here.
