12:00 Park life Changing the guard Kelvin Reynolds celebrates the value of democracy and good governance T his year, Her Majesty the Queen became the first British monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, after 70 years of service. During her extraordinary reign, she has travelled more widely than any other monarch. Known for her sense of duty and her devotion to a life of service, defending our democracy, she also represents continuity during a period of extraordinary change. Being accountable Theyre changing guard at Buckingham Palace, Christopher Robin went down with Alice so goes the poem by AA Milne (some people think this is the Alice in Wonderland who Ive been speaking about recently). The changing of the guard is as regular as clockwork, and a spectacle that people from all over the globe flock to see. Democracy underpins good governance and, at the BPA, we are in the vanguard of democracy in professional associations Well, weve changed the guard at the British Parking Association! Not quite so ceremonially as at Buckingham Palace, but, I would contend, equally as important, as both have parallels in defending and supporting our democracy. Democracy underpins good governance and, at the BPA, we are in the vanguard of democracy in professional associations. We have recently changed our governance structure to ensure we have more proportional representation from across all sectors of the profession (see box, page 48), making us more member-focused, more accountable and more democratic. britishparking.co.uk 47 PN May 2022 pp46-48 Parklife.indd 47 21/04/2022 11:53