What are we about?

We are an independant voluntary umbrella organisation for allotment and Horticultural Groups in Harrow, Middlesex whose aim is to encourage allotment use and protect open space in the Borough for the benefit of community, well-being, wildlife and bio-diversity.

Harrow in LEAF is a registered charity.

Through our grants initiative "Making Harrow Greener" we have been able to support "green shoot" projects with local volunteer groups and schools, thus promoting horticulture and it's value to us all.

Find us......Harrow in LEAF's HQ Cabin, HA1 4HE

Our Headquarters Cabin and community area, pictured at the top of this page, can be found on the West Harrow Allotment site (large), entrance in The Gardens, beside West Harrow tube station, HA1 4HE; our HQ building is located about 750 yards along the roadway; always keep to the railway fence to your immediate left. Ample free parking is available in front of the HQ Cabin.

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Click to view Find Us map...

The approach roadway is a bit bumpy, be warned, especially in the dark!

Management Committee elections at the 2021 AGM

At the outdoor Harrow in LEAF AGM held on June 30th 2021 the Management Committee were re-elected.

The Harrow in LEAF Management Committee for 2021/22 is therefore structured as follows:

Chair - Trevor Steeples, Chandos Rec. Allotments
Vice Chair - Jill McLoughlin
Secretary - Frances Goldingay, West Harrow Allotments
Treasurer - Judy Walker, West Harrow Allotments

plus Trustee, Bill Fitmaurice, Harrow Beekeepers
and non-elected Membership Secretary - Brian Vaughan, Cuckoo Hill Allotments

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown rules in place it was not possible to hold an AGM at our HQ

With no resignations from the Management Committee we continued as is.

Management Committee elections at the 2019 AGM

At the Harrow in LEAF AGM held on May 8th 2019 the Management Committee were re-elected.

The Harrow in LEAF Management Committee for 2019/20 is therefore structured as follows:

Chair - Trevor Steeples, Chandos Rec. Allotments
Vice Chair - Jill McLoughlin
Secretary - Frances Goldingay, West Harrow Allotments
Treasurer - Judy Walker, West Harrow Allotments

plus Trustee, Bill Fitmaurice, Harrow Beekeepers
and non-elected Membership Secretary - Brian Vaughan, Cuckoo Hill Allotments

Management Committee elections at the 2018 AGM

At the Harrow in LEAF AGM held on May 2nd 2018 the Management Committee were elected.

The Harrow in LEAF Management Committee for 2018/19 is therefore structured as follows:

Chair - Trevor Steeples, Chandos Rec. Allotments
Vice Chair - Jill McLoughlin
Secretary - Frances Goldingay, West Harrow Allotments
Treasurer - Judy Walker, West Harrow Allotments

plus Trustee, Bill Fitmaurice, Harrow Beekeepers
and non-elected Membership Secretary - Brian Vaughan, Cuckoo Hill Allotments

Management Committee elections at the 2017 AGM

At the Harrow in LEAF AGM held on May 10th 2017 the Management Committee were re-elected without opposition, however it was announced that due to resignation of the Chair there was now a vacancy for this post.

The Harrow in LEAF Management Committee for 2017/18 is therefore structured as follows:

Chair - VACANT
Vice Chair - Maureen Jordan, West Harrow / Jill McLoughlin
Secretary - Frances Goldingay, West Harrow
Treasurer - Judy Walker, West Harrow

plus Trustee, Judy Earl, Harrow Beekeepers
and non-elected Membership Secretary - Brian Vaughan, Cuckoo Hill

Download our "about us" LEAFlet

LEAF stands for:

Local Environmental Agenda 21 Federation
highlighting one of Harrow in LEAF’s original objectives to support the “Agenda 21” Forum.
In 1992, the United Nations Earth Summit in Rio brought together world leaders from 179 countries to sign up to Agenda 21, an action plan for sustainable development.

History

Prior to 1997, Harrow Council invited two "allotment advisors" from the allotment societies, to represent the allotment holders at the relevant Council committee meetings. Similarly other “advisors” represented other interests such as Friends of the Earth.

Following their 1997 landslide victories in both national and local elections, the new government radically reorganised Harrow Council to "cabinet style" working, thus eliminating the role for these advisors. Hence our two allotment advisors - namely Ron Dickens of Newton Park and Sue Green of West Harrow - became redundant.

To redress this, in March 1998 a meeting of six allotment societies' officers was convened by Sue Green (West Harrow AGA) - these were Ron Dickens (Newton Park HS), Derek Osborne (Belmont HS), Gordon Cox (Harrow Horticultural and Rose S), Ralph Prior (Roxbourne HS), and Pinner Society - and Harrow in LEAF (HiL) was born with the objective to preserve, protect, promote, and improve allotments across the Borough.

HiL has successfully attracted members from the remaining sites, and nowadays almost all are involved via their society's affiliation, and/or through their site representative; additionally many allotment holders have become individual members. We have also attracted other compatible groups such as other horticultural associations, park user groups, and the beekeepers, and have established a successful working partnership with Harrow Council.

The committee of twenty-five dedicated volunteers meets bimonthly to progress HiL’s aims, namely to improve sites, and protect sites from threats: the latter being crucial to allotments at a time when they are vulnerable to development.

LEAF Headquarters

In 1999 a local community group donated a building to use as headquarters which was erected at the far end of West Harrow allotment site.


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A donation of paint from Dulux enabled us to refurbish the building and provide a focal point where committee meetings, plant sales, barbeques and open days/events are held during the year. Funding from the Brent & Harrow Joint Consultative Committee provided a raised bed and disabled toilet facility nearby.

In 2018 the Garfield Weston Foundation accepted our application for a grant to renovate the outside of the HQ Hut which had fallen into disrepair. The renovation work upgraded the "hut" into a cabin and was completed in June 2018 and enables Harrow in LEAF to continue meeting and holding events.

Grants

A funding application to the Allotments Regeneration Initiative (ARI) Scheme, the Social, Economic and Environmental Development (SEED) Programme along with British Airways and Harrow Council provided funds to erect secure storage facilities and recycling bays on 13 sites in the borough

Allotments Regeneration Initiative

ARI was a partnership between the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners (NSALG), the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens (FCFCG) and QED Allotments Group and was funded by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. It aimed to stimulate more people to get growing on urban allotments, both as individual plot holders and through community projects. A total of 60 organisations submitted bids for grants but only 7 were successful and of those, 4 were local authorities, so the result was a terrific achievement for Harrow in LEAF who were awarded a total of £36,132 over two years

SEED

A further £49,558 was Lottery funded by the £15.3 million SEED Programme, which is managed by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT) and 11 consortium partners. The SEED programme distributes National Lottery money on behalf of the New Opportunities Fund under its Green Spaces and Sustainable Communities funding programme. This programme aims to stimulate local economic development and support community enterprise, promoting sustainability and helping disadvantaged communities improve the quality of their environment. Over the coming months Harrow in Leaf will be speaking to local community groups about The "Benefits of Allotment Gardening" and would like to hear from any groups who are interested in holding a talk