Account For Your Local Park - You Need To

Jack Burton discusses how his local park transformed his experience of city life, particularly during lockdown.

Blue Tit - Jack Burton 2020.

I’ve never been one for cities; I dislike the perpetual and superficial movement of consumer culture, lack of nature and simply the sheer amount of people concentrated in one area. No place to breathe, I thought.

This was my previous generic perception of cities; I come from a rural world, being brought up in the countryside near the North York Moors, the Yorkshire Dales and not too far from the Lake District. Now, there is a global pandemic, the state has rightfully (not competently) engineered lockdown on the country, and I am stuck in a small studio flat in London. With my preconceptions of cities and my love for photographing nature and wildlife, you can imagine this was not the place I wanted to be. A dark cloud was lingering over my head due to the circumstances. But I found a place I love - nowhere emphatic like the Alps or as sentimental as the North York Moors -  I found my local park.

Portrait of me in one of my local parks (credit Felix Barlett)

My park has surprised me in so many ways. In fact, I have reconsidered life in the city as an inevitable necessity. Furthermore, I find its social complexity rather beautiful. The constant flux of the landscape was bearable, knowing I had a place to sit and relax somewhere in nature. Although, the park isn’t just a place where I relax. I often go exploring in search of wildlife, the perfect light to formulate my imagery and to feed the pigeons, geese, ducks and the odd coot and moorhen. I have been an amateur wildlife photographer for 8 years and have explored much of the UK, so I was completely taken by surprise at my second sighting of a Green Woodpecker, in Greater London.

An abundance of Mistle Thrush also calls this park home (this is not a common bird). A Great Spotted Woodpecker has decided to nest in a tree in the middle of a playground. I often see birds such as Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Nuthatch and Tits (of various kinds) flicker between the dendritic branches of the tree’s marvellous crown. The concentration of wildlife in these green spaces means people can get close to observe these fascinating creatures. Social distancing has been tough on all of us, but the pigeons ignored these rules as they perched on my hand to feed upon bird seed.

Green Woodpecker - Jack Burton 2020.

Feeding Frenzy - Jack Burton 2020.

Most of my days are spent conforming to and working for one of the world’s largest corporations. I work long shifts to deliver parcels to everyday consumers – sometimes 6 days a week. So, I have implemented a morning ritual whereby the park has become an essential part of my livelihood. To escape the relentlessness of my work, I sit under my morning tree in the park, with my coffee or sometimes a smoothie.

This particular tree is a big maple with grooves at the source of its roots, forming a perfect seat where I have my drink. I often wait for the ecstatic call of the Green Woodpecker and watch it from below, resting on a branch. Fortuitously for me, it habitually comes to this particular tree. I overlook the park and share its necessity with other Londoners; runners running, cyclists cycling and dog walkers everywhere. There are people praying, reading, meditating. Some families walking, introverts sitting and listening to music – an abundant list can be made.

Treescape - Jack Burton 2020.

The world is in a worrying state, regarding its consciousness around environmental thinking. The way nature and ecology has been pushed down the priority list in government legislation – despite the growing concerns around human-caused climate change. I have observed and experienced the importance of local parks in London.  To advocate conservation, ecological restoration and promotion of other parks, we need to consider other social and ecological values.

So what does a park provide socially?

It brings community, an idea we can all agree is good. We can come to our park to volunteer for local projects, to rest with family and friends, to meet new people, to protest. It’s a space for art, education and entertainment. It contributes to everyday physical and mental well-being – account for your local park! Ecologically, it provides a home to a profuse range of wildlife species. Pollution is reduced due to the help of trees and other plants within these spaces, thus contributing positively to our everyday health and the planet as a whole. I’m sure these green spaces have economic value as well, though I’d like to think our parks exist for us, not for the superficial economy.

Carrion Crow - Jack Burton 2020.

My experience in London has been tough, not surprising though, regarding the present circumstances – coronavirus has been hard on everyone. A question I ponder on is: where would I be without my local park? I can promise you, I would not live in London if I didn’t have one. Ask yourself the same question. Consider what you use it for and how you can advocate for more parks. Imagine a future where there’s an abundance of green spaces. If not, consider why we must advocate for more parks to counteract the growing demand of capitalism, the rise of social inequality and environmental decimation.