Byron Park

Fri 21 Mar 2025

4 volunteers spent at least 1.5 hours here and collected 10 bags plus two larger items, also taking time to work on historic graffiti that will need return visits. The park was generally well kept, with little fresh fly-tipping inside the boundary. Small plastic pouches were found throughout, pointing to ongoing drug use, and some waste was noted on the nearby Belmont Trail. It was encouraging to see clearance underway at the old transport hub, and no return of the drinking dens seen on a 2023 visit.

Queensbury Recreation Ground

Sun 23 Mar 2025

13 volunteers attended for at least 1.5 hours, with two staying on longer, collecting around 70 bags and the equivalent of 40–50 bags of larger items. Ward councillors, local police and nature conservation volunteers joined. Overflowing bins, heavily fly-tipped woodland, supermarket trolleys in the wetland and an oily-looking stream were among the issues, along with broken glass around benches. There was evidence of people sleeping rough and of bushes being used as toilets. Funfair posters and other adverts were taken off the front fencing.

Bridge Street Gardens

Tue 25 Mar 2025

21 volunteers spent about 1.5 hours collecting around 30 bags, plus a short stretch of the River Pinn. Benches and posts were scrubbed clean, and much of the litter had been hidden in hedges. Cans and bottles around seating pointed to drinking. A newly formed Friends group joined the session, bringing experience from nearby Pinner Village Gardens and plans to make this prominent space more inviting.

Stanmore Marsh North

Thu 27 Mar 2025

7 volunteers worked for about two hours, collecting 23 bags plus a bicycle and other bulky items. Two full sharps boxes were found — one broken, with needles on the ground — and carefully bagged for safe disposal. Tangled razor wire near the old gas works was reported and later removed as a priority. Thick brambles hid decades-old cans and bottles, and more work is still needed here.

Boxtree Park

Sat 29 Mar 2025

14 volunteers collected 24 bags of mainly small litter, plus a few larger items, and cleaned graffiti from bins, signs and the play area. Ward councillors attended. Two knives and a small crowbar — including a large “zombie” knife hidden near the car park — were found and handed to police. The park is generally very well kept; much of the waste had been dumped from vehicles along Boxtree Road and concealed under bushes.

Kenton Recreation Ground

Mon 31 Mar 2025

15 volunteers collected more than 100 bags, plus the equivalent of over 100 bags of bulky fly-tipping including sofas, chairs and beds. Local police and a Council public protection officer attended. The central park was immaculate thanks to the Friends group and parks team, but entrances — especially Daintry Close and Prestwood Avenue — were used as drop-off points for domestic waste. Volunteers also spoke with someone storing rubbish in the park, who then removed it.

Alexandra Park

Wed 2 Apr 2025

17 volunteers collected 35 bags and five larger items, cleared an abandoned shelter used by someone sleeping rough, and removed graffiti from two rear walls. Friends of the park joined, as did a senior Council officer. Bins on Station Parade beside the park edge, with thick brambles inside, were a major source of dumped waste and rat burrows. The centre of the park was in good order; logs under trees were being used as informal seating, with drinks cans left behind.

Brockhurst Corner Open Space

Fri 4 Apr 2025

11 volunteers collected 65–70 bags, with some staying around four hours. Dense brambles around the play area were cut back to reach historic rubbish, some decades old. The site has needed repeated visits because of fly-tipping, drinking and drug-related waste; residents said the woodland now feels cleaner and safer. A heavily fly-tipped adjoining site was reported to the Council. The park is well used by families during the day, with antisocial behaviour more common later on.

Roxeth Recreation Ground

Sun 6 Apr 2025

19 volunteers collected 53 bags from perimeter areas, plus abandoned tents and other bulky items. Friends of the park arranged a planting session to tie in with the clean. The adjoining alleyway was also cleared. Privately owned woodland between the railway and the park remains accessible and misused. The car park was being used for gatherings with loud music, and bushes around it showed signs of drug use. Perimeter bushes were being used as toilets.

Pinner Memorial Park (bonus event)

Sat 5 Apr 2025

A bonus session after reports of recent littering: 2 volunteers collected 9 bags. The park is generally well maintained with help from Peace Garden volunteers, but busy visitor numbers and nearby takeaways leave a lot of waste beside bins in warm weather. Bread fed to birds was affecting the pond surface, despite a vending machine for proper bird food.

Thank you!

Thanks go to Harrow Council’s teams and managers who helped make sure collected waste was removed promptly, to the councillors, Safer Neighbourhood Teams, park Friends groups, nature conservation volunteers and nearby residents who joined in, and to everyone who came along — including those who joined Harrow Litter Pickers for the first time. None of this would have been possible without people from many backgrounds coming together with a common aim.