Clare  Balding  welcomed  as  new  patron  of  Friends  of  Richmond  Park

Friends of Richmond Park (FRP), is delighted to announce that BAFTA award winning broadcaster and writer, Clare Balding OBE, has become their third Patron, joining Sir David Attenborough and Baroness Susan Kramer. Clare regularly visits Richmond Park and has featured the Park in her popular long-running BBC radio series Ramblings.

View Clare’s video message

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Winner of the BAFTA Special Award and RTS Presenter of the Year Award for her expert coverage of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Clare is one of Britain’s leading and most popular broadcasters. She is also a best-selling and award-winning author of numerous books, including children’s novels, and is well known as a lover of animals and wildlife.

Clare said of the appointment: “I’m truly delighted to be invited to be a Patron of Friends of Richmond Park and it’s a real honour to be alongside Sir David and Baroness Kramer.  Richmond Park is not far from where I live and it’s the perfect escape – I love its space and wildness. When we had our dog Archie, he loved it there.  It has been a godsend this year for many thousands of Londoners and I would like to do my bit to help the Friends of Richmond Park in their efforts to conserve this remarkable National Nature Reserve.”

Clare has already started helping the Friends giving her time to film interviews in the Park for the upcoming ‘Remarkable Trees of Richmond Park’ Zoom presentation on 23rd January.  See here for further details.

The Friends’ Chairman Ron Crompton said: “It’s fantastic that Clare has agreed to be a Patron.  She’s such a popular broadcaster but also has a great depth of knowledge and experience across so many other areas including writing children’s novels.  Clare is also a regular Park visitor so she understands many of the pressures on the Park as well as its delights.  We look forward to working with her.”