From Summer Bugs to Autumn Bids - And Halloween Fancy Dress

As we look back on a wonderful summer, we are also jumping straight into a busy autumn of new projects, winter prep, and festive community events. Here is a round-up of what we’ve been up to and what’s coming up next!

New seating

We installed five benches, made from stacked sleepers kindly provided by Wates, creating welcoming places to sit, chat, and relax. They are also fun for children to walk along or jump over. We carried out repairs on our older benches so they can be used for years to come.

Bug hunts

Among our finds were grasshoppers, a stunning and slightly fearsome wasp spider from the orb-weaver family, and several other beautiful insects. We viewed them magnified through the collecting jars. Insects were logged in our iNaturalist project and safely released back into the habitat where we found them.

To help protect our apple trees, we also built custom earwig houses by packing straw into small terracotta pots. Hung directly from the branches, these houses will encourage earwigs to move in and provide a natural defence against apple ermine moth grubs.

Exciting news for the station gardens - Working with Transport for London (TfL)

We are also looking after the Metropolitan line station gardens at both Northwick Park and Preston Road. Our “Together towards zero” eco-grant bid to Brent for the station gardens has been accepted. Throughout this autumn and into spring 2027, we will be installing water reservoirs and introducing drought-resistant planting to help the gardens thrive in our changing and challenging weather conditions. If you would like to join us, please email info@northwickparkcommunitygarden.com

Winter preparations

Our fabulous volunteers have been tidying and mulching the beds ready for winter. We are leaving seed heads in place where we can, so birds and insects still have shelter and food through the colder months.

Hanging fat balls and suet pellets in your garden is a fantastic way to support birds. These treats are less likely to spread the diseases that can affect finches.

Halloween dog walk and costume parade

Get your outfits ready! We are busy planning our fundraising Halloween dog walk and costume parade for the morning of Saturday 31st October. It is always a wonderfully lively event, so please sign up in advance using Eventbrite Lots of fun for all the family with plenty of prizes.