As summer comes to a close, autumn seasonal community events start to come together.
The Friends of Harrow Weald believe that parks make the very best community centres, and offer a unique opportunity to create tomorrow's parks today using a convergence of nature, technology, recycling, education and wellbeing for humans and bugs alike.
Thank you for taking the time to view our newsletter - September 2021
The voice of a volunteer!
Over the past few months, we have been working hard on our projects.
This can all started with a simple litter picker.
"If you have any spare apples, please bring them to National Apple day details below or contact us for collection - All apples used for community use."
A note from our email sponsors
Friends events, meeting details and updates
"Do you live around Harrow Weald Recreation Ground? We are looking for people to help us with opening and locking gates. If you would like to get involved, please meet us at our park on Sunday at 10AM"
Upcoming events
24th September - Music on the stage
Friday night music with Joseph Doran live on the outdoor stage.
25th September - National Apple Day and the 1st Harrow Weald mini horticultural show
Judges are in place for the following categories:
Vegetables, Fruit (excluding apples); Apples, Flowers, Preserves
Join in! All welcome!
Children's activities, and music for all, will be featured at this event.
Many apple products will be on sale.
If you have any spare garden apples (between now and then) please donate them to us. These will be pressed to make our own apple juice, which will be sold in the cafe to help raise funds.
26th September - Roxyfest 2021
There will be lots of fun and entertainment for the whole family including your four-legged friends: Fun Dog Show, Judged by Medivet Pinner Craft and Local Business Stalls Charity Stalls Street Food Tea / Coffee Pavilion Children’s Funfair and Entertainment Kids Face Painting Ice Cream / Candy Floss Live Music and much more…
There will be lots of fun and entertainment for the whole family, including your four-legged friends:
17th November - Opensource meetup Harrow
Whether you use Wordpress, Joomla or any other opensource software, we know it's good and healthy to share.
Wifi: Included - Cost: Free - Knowledge Level: Basic
Initially limited to 10 spaces.
Subjects covered, or for discussion:
Any open source - Server configurations - Website security - How to create a plugin - What is the best open source and why?
This is an opensource project that is designed to help educate anyone about opensource, joomla and wordpress .
This is aimed at people from 14 years of age upwards. All things open source details here.
Funded community clay activities for adults
Our Community Clay Activities for Adults is aiming to bring the members of the local community together through creativity and art. These sessions are run in a relaxed and social atmosphere, so bring a friend and create something together. Click here fore details
Community traders wanted for community events.
We are building a centralised list of community event traders from Harrow and surrounding areas.
This list will be used on behalf of all park and community groups who would like to have trade stalls at their own community events.
Click here to add your details
For more event details visit the community events website
Social Marketing
What is social marketing and why is it different from normal marketing?
Social marketing offers a great way to support local communities, whilst providing your business with a host of marketing benefits
Could your business help turn parks into centres for the community that provide wellbeing for nature, bugs, and humans alike, with education and financial sustainability running through everything?
Find out how Social marketing is good for your business
Opensource - how can it help your business?
Project updates
Litter picking project
About this project:
Over the last few months we have been building a litter picking collection network around Harrow, along with local businesses and park groups. These collection hubs allow residents to collect litter pickers, bags and other equipment.
Litter picking equipment is now being distributed to the right people
We have seen scout groups, park groups and Individuals and litter picking groups collect equipment.
Litter picking fairy update
The litter picking fairy has been a big part of a massive push to collect litter in South Harrow. Last month in South Harrow alone the litter picking team collected over 200 bags. Read about the confessions of a litter picker here
Litter picking get started!
If you live in Harrow and want free litter picking equipment, please head over to the litter picking site and find a hub near you.
We would welcome a few more businesses or park groups that would like to become a distribution hub.
Volunteers are needed to run this project online and offline.
If you are a Harrow resident, and want litter picking equipment, order it here (100% free)
"If we don't collectively help the litter problem, who loses out?"
Metroline wall
The Metroline living wall
This is a project between, Metroline PLC, Harrow Council, and the local residents. Together we are transforming the wall between the bus garage and the park. This project is locally created and a unique convergence of nature, technology, recycling, education and wellbeing for humans and bugs alike.
Within the next few days (at the time of writing) Metroline will be creating a gate for the piece of land that they have provided.
We place a special emphasis on the carers of people with ADHD, Dementia and similar conditions. The various sections of the wall will create a quiet and safe place for these people to spend some relaxing time outdoors, as well as providing the opportunity to meet other locals and enjoy chatting or listening to some music performances taking place on the stage. We hope that this one wall will encourage people, who might not normally venture out much, to view it as a a safe place to come and relax. Enjoying life is important!
Visit the Metroline project pages for more details
Community partnerships
Community events calendar
Centralised Harrow community event calendar:
Advertising your community events around Harrow just got easier. We have now opened the events calendar to allow other park and community groups to easily add their own events.
This process should be straightforward, but if any difficulties arise, we are here to help. Alternatively, if you prefer, you are welcome to send your calendar of events to us.
Adding community events:
Add your park group, community group or community event free. https://events.harrowweald.co.uk/about
Volunteers for the events calendar wanted:
We are looking for an additional person to help run the events calendar, and we will be happy to teach and train anyone who is interested in helping with this role.
A note from our email sponsors
Alba Luggage has provided a bespoke repair service for most makes and models for decades in Central London.
We've been repairing luggage since 1970 and have a team of trusted, enthusiastic and experienced technicians. Alba Luggage is the only Luggage Store with an In-House repair service in Central London.
To get your luggage repaired, in the first instance, please fill out the repair enquiry form below and send it back to us. Please ensure that we can see the case, see the damage clearly, ie, if a wheel is broken, please include a picture of the entire corner, not just the missing wheel… Help us to help you.
We repair the following major brands:
- Rimowa - * Samsonite - * Briggs & Riley - * Roncato - * Delsey - * Globetrotter amongst others
- Click here for the Alba website
Friends events, meeting details and updates
Friends next meeting (All welcome)
Monday 27th - Next meeting - On zoom - details here
Visiting Harrow Weald Recreation Ground Aka Boxtree Park?
For details and directions please follow this link http://boxtreepark.co.uk/
We are looking for volunteers to keep the park site updated (We are happy to teach anyone)
Parklife Café
Parklife café is expected to open any day soon, we have a host of plans once we get organised.
The building has now been completed, water has finally been connected and we are now kitting it out
We are looking for various catering equipment items, cheap low cost or free please contact us
Good news stories
Hatch End station wins, The Horticultural society wins, we all win.
Congratulations to our friends at the Horticultural Society on the many awards that they received for their displays at Hatch End station.
Note that we said displays, not just flower displays! The Society have created some excellent imaginative displays using not just flowers, but including recycled items.
Well done Lucy and all her team (especially the cake maker).
We are also pleased to announce that some of the members of the Horticultural Society have kindly agreed to judge the Mini Horticutural events as part of National Apple day!
London Overground won Best Community Engagement and BEST IN SHOW!
TFL in Bloom won Best Cultivated Garden and BEST IN SHOW!
And Finally
It is impossible to mention all the good people we have the good fortune to meet daily
The daily litter pickers, the weekly meetup people, the organsiers, the volunteers that go to regular local meetings with other organisations to help keep us all inform and the people that just help.
Without talking nothing would happen, without goodwill it would be hard, without cooperation it would be impossible. Thank you to all the people that make our area nicer on so many level.