Harrow Wildlife Action Roving Team

Join a band of volunteers improving Harrow's open spaces for wildlife!

On five days through the rest of the summer the Harrow Wildlife Action roving team will work to improve sites for biodiversity. Tasks include planting into ponds, cutting invasive rhododendron, and creating scallops in woodland edges. You get to meet like minded people, see "Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation" across Harrow you probably never knew existed, and make a difference for nature.

You can get a ride to the site from Wealdstone - pickup is at 10AM from Milton Road, close to the junction with Station Road ‐ that's beside the old Civic Centre in Wealdstone, shown by the blue dot in the map below. Rides must be booked in advance by contacting the organizer Luke Farnsworth by email at email luke.farnsworth@tcv.org.uk or by phone on 0774 089 9620. Or meet the team at the site ‐ see details below. Phone Luke on 0774 089 9620 if there are any problems on the day.

Work at the site will end at 3:00 PM with a trip back to Milton Road arriving at around 3:30 PM, but you can of course finish as early as you like.

Schedule

Wednesday 23rd August 2023 We will be at Bentley Priory, Harrow's only biological Site of Special Scientific Interest. The task will be cutting down invasive rhododendron to allow light and rain to the woodland floor and allow the growth of native woodland flowers. Get transport to the site from central Wealdstone at 10:00 AM or meet the team at the north end of Masefield Avenue, HA7 3LY at 10:30 AM.

Saturday 2nd September 2023 We will be at Brockley Hill Open Space, an area that is now being specifically managed for wildlife with long grass meadows and a series of healthy ponds. The task will be planting into the new ponds to create heathy marginal zones where amphibians can breed, as well as removing encroaching willows. Get transport to the site from central Wealdstone at 10:00 AM or meet the team at the north end of Cleopatra Close, HA7 4PR at 10:30 AM.

Wednesday 6th September 2023 We will be at the rewilded stream area south of the Harrow Arts Centre in Hatch End. The task will be coppicing small trees to let more light into the stream and woodland floor, creating nesting sites for birds in the bushy growth from the coppiced stumps. Get transport to the site from central Wealdstone at 10:00 AM or meet the team in the Arts Centre car park, HA5 4EA at 10:30 AM.

Friday 15th September 2023 We will be at Roxbourne Rough, a lovely series of rough grassland fields that forms part of the Roxbourne Park open space. We'll be cutting "scallops" into the woodland edge in places to create sheltered, sunny hotspots which are great for range of invertebrates. As the coppiced trees sprout they will provide dense cover for nesting birds. Get transport to the site from central Wealdstone at 10:00 AM or meet the team at 10:30 AM on Stirling Avenue, HA5 1JS, at the point where it make a 90 degree bend.

Sunday 24th September 2023 We will be at Old Redding Nature Reserve in Harrow Weald. The task will be cutting down invasive rhododendron to allow light and rain to the woodland floor and allow the growth of native woodland flowers. Get transport to the site from central Wealdstone at 10:00 AM or meet the team in the north car park of Grimsdyke Hotel, HA3 6SF at 10:30 AM.


Blue dot on map below shows pickup point in Wealdstone.


The Roving Team is formally run by The Conservation Volunteers (TCV), not by Harrow Nature Conservation Forum. Participants are covered by TCV insurance.

Harrow Nature Conservation Forum runs many more working parties in sites spread across Harrow - see here for the full list. We also run fun and educational events such as pond dipping, guided walks and bat evenings - see here for the schedule.

Back to Harrow Nature Conservation Forum home