It's great to see communities come together to make a difference. That's what happened in Rayners Lane recently where an orphaned alleyway was transformed into a community garden
Spearheaded by local resident Kanchan Chauhan – her passion and dedication to bring pride into her local community in Rayners Lane has seen a heavily fly-tipped alleyway transformed into a beautiful community garden.
It all started in 2023 when she noticed it was a dumping ground and getting worse. She was informed it was orphaned land; not belonging to anyone, with those who have access being responsible for maintenance.
With the help of nearby residents, businesses, councillors and Harrow Litter Pickers, she decided to explore how she might bring pride back to this area.
A major clean-up operation was arranged, consisting of 10 clean up events where an unbelievable amount of waste was cleared. To assist with the clearance of some of the waste local ward Councillor, Thaya Idaikkadar, funded a skip, and volunteers, residents, local businesses, Council clean teams and even the local Police Safer Neighbourhood Team helped to remove the rest.
Fast forward to February 2025, and the space is growing into a beautiful community garden. Planters made from repurposed fly tipped pallets are now filled with bulbs. Local businesses, residents and volunteers have donated supplies and plants, small trees, compost and beautiful pots were generously donated by business Windowflowers. All this make this once sad space into a stunning and sustainable community garden. The nearby Tesco's even provided refreshments to fuel hardworking volunteers.
Kanchan said:
“Whilst it was certainly not an easy task, it has been rewarding to see that solutions can be found to problematic areas.
“This is just one example of what can be achieved when members of the community, businesses and the council are united.
“The Rayners Lane Community Garden is an ongoing project and I would like to thank everyone who has helped on this transformational journey to create a cleaner, greener, and brighter space people can be proud of."
Cllr Thaya Idaikkadar, Ward Cllr for Rayners Lane who supported this said:
“This is a prime example of volunteers, the council, local businesses and partners coming together to make a real difference to the community. It is a fantastic transformation which is both unique and one that everyone involved should be proud of. As a ward Cllr, I know this alleyway very well, and while it’s not council land, I am pleased to have supported this initiative. When Kanchan came to me asking for support, I spoke to council officers to see what was possible, and also funded a skip for the clearance.
“I know it wasn’t an easy journey, and I'd like to thank Kanchan, our volunteers and the local community for bringing life back into this alleyway. Not only does this restore pride, but everyone who has seen it, loves it! We'll continue to work with residents and local businesses to make the area a better place to live and work."
For more information about land ownership issues, contact your local ward councillor https://moderngov.harrow.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx?bcr=1.
Find out more about Harrow Litter Pickers and do even more by joining their Facebook group.