Mayor's Blog: A tale of two Richmonds

My wife Helen and I have just returned from a three-day trip to our sister city – Richmond Virginia. The trip, the first one from a Richmond Mayor for 17 years, was an initiative I wanted to take to strengthen the links between our two cities. The trip was funded by Helen and myself.

Richmond Virginia takes its name from our home because early settlers thought the bend in the James River above Richmond reminded them of our famous view of the Thames from Richmond Hill. And I can confirm that the similarity is remarkable!

The local branch of the English Speaking Union (ESU) organised a whirlwind tour for us to the Virginia State Capitol, to the childhood home of Thomas Jefferson, the American Civil War Museum, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. We were also shown two 17th century houses which had been moved brick by brick from England to Richmond in the 1920’s.

All these visits were extremely interesting for a keen historian and gardener like myself and I can heartedly recommend a trip to the city, but I suggest you spend at least five days there.

We had the chance to meet the city’s newly elected Mayor, Danny Avula, and over lunch we discussed issues affecting us both. These include the future of our respective rivers, both of which are increasingly affected by flooding linked to climate change; the rise in mental health challenges affecting young people worsened by COVID and its consequences; and the need for more social housing.

We also met an organisation called Capitol Trees who are doing great work cleaning up unloved public places around railway tracks and former industrial sites. They operate through a network of dedicated volunteers as I do at Kew Gardens. Their work helps wildlife to thrive, reduces litter, and makes pedestrians feel safer.

Helen and I were struck by how many Richmond Virginia residents have links to us. They either have relatives or friends here, or they have visited as part of a holiday in the UK, or they want to see our world-famous sites like Hampton Court, Kew Gardens and Richmond Park. I told them about our forthcoming twinning reaffirmation weekend with our friends from Fontainebleau and Konstanz and I hope some of them will come over to join these celebrations.

I think we both can benefit from strengthening our links, encouraging more visits to our respective cities, and sharing ideas about how to address common problems. I would love to see regular exchange visits involving young people, history societies, environmental groups and sports teams. Our American cousins certainly have the desire to do just that.

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