(Snow)Drop the finisher top
Royal Parks Half Marathon Finisher T-shirt Opt-Out
Continuing to minimize the Royal Parks Half Marathon's environmental impact in 2024, participants will again have the option to forgo receiving a finisher’s t-shirt.
This year, when you opt out of the finisher t-shirt, you will contribute to the planting of snowdrops and wildflowers along the half marathon route.
The Royal Parks Half is collaborating with our parks teams to launch the ‘(Snow)Drop the Finisher Top’ initiative, a conservation project aimed at enriching biodiversity in St James’s Park and The Green Park by establishing habitats for invertebrates.
Your support will play a crucial role in supplying snowdrop bulbs and establishing wildflower meadows along various points of the half marathon route, including Constitution Hill, Piccadilly, and St James’s Park Memorial Gardens in front of Buckingham Palace.
- These bulbs are sourced locally in the UK. Sourcing snowdrops locally promotes sustainability, supports local communities, and contributes to the conservation of genetic diversity and native ecosystems.
- These bulbs provide a flower high in nectar and pollen to support pollinators such as bees, butterflies and moths
- They offer a structure for spiders to build their webs and a food source to slugs and snails. Increased invertebrates will help to support our bird and bat species.
Planting wildflower seeds offers a range of environmental benefits
- Pollinator Conservation: Many pollinator species, including bumble bees, are facing population declines. Wildflowers supply these pollinators with nectar and pollen, helping to support their populations and overall health which is especially important due to increased threats from climate change. With a mix of species, there will be nectar and pollen available throughout the flowering season.
- Soil Conservation: The deep and varied root systems of wildflowers help stabilize soil, preventing erosion. This will also promote healthy soil functioning by encouraging soil fungi, bacteria and invertebrates, such as worms, to flourish. With reduced erosion and increased organisms in our soils, we can protect and enhance our soil carbon stores to reduce the carbon in our atmosphere.
- Water Conservation: Native wildflowers are often well-adapted to local climate conditions. When grown from seed in established lawns, they require less artificial watering in the long term compared to planting established plants in horticultural borders, with similar benefits to biodiversity. Planting wildflowers can contribute to water conservation efforts and promote sustainable landscaping practices as we face water scarcity challenges from climate change.
If you choose to support ‘(Snow)Drop the Finisher Top’ in lieu of receiving a finisher’s t-shirt, you will receive a thank you email upon completion of the race as well as an update on when the Snowdrop bulbs are planted in the Parks.
The location of the Royal Parks Half Marathon snowdrop and wildflower meadow will be in The Green Park, along Constitution Hill, Piccadilly, and St James’s Park Memorial Gardens in front of Buckingham Palace.
