Barnet Community Harvesters (BCH) are developing a new community space in the heart of Colindale, Colindale Community Garden, an initiative to provide year round fresh produce for Colindale Food Bank and offer volunteering and well-being opportunities. We already have a commercial sized polytunnnel, which we want to use as a resource to support and develop other community food growing initiatives across the borough, through offering free plants and horticultural guidance.We want to support local food resilience and to be a hub for BCH activities. We'll run workshops (horticulture, foraging, harvesting, pruning ) on site and across the borough, engaging people in nature based activities. We also aim to work with the most vulnerable and marginalised groups and be an inclusive space that welcomes all, tailoring sessions for different needs. Also working and coordinating with allotments to grow to donate for the community. Supporting less mobile residents to harvest their fruit.

What we'll deliver:

• 500kg of food donated to Barnet Food Banks and other community causes
• Regular 2x weekly volunteer sessions
• 8 Workshops on horticulture, permaculture and healthy eating related topics
• Support the set up of 3 herb gardens (or community gardens) at other sites across the borough
• Hold 2 community events
• Community Woodchip pile for community use
• Set up and manage 1 community orchard
• Coordinate 10 allotments for food donation collection
• 100 people engaged

Why it's a great idea:

We aim to benefit the local and surrounding community and the environment as detailed below: * create opportunities for community involvement, combat social isolation and promote well-being *empower people to use land productively and take ownership of the environment *Increase access to fresh food for those facing food poverty *Develop a network of Barnet residents growing, harvesting and donating, to support local food resilience *support volunteers to develop skills on sustainable food growing, permaculture, horticulture and orcharding. *Deliver well-being, educational and vocational activities *Provide seedlings and plants to other community initiatives and individuals increasing food sustainability across the borough *Promote social inclusion, self confidence and empowerment to those who participate of the activities *Develop better environmental awareness and stewardship, improve biodiversity across the borough

Steps to get it done:

• Buy equipments and tools
• Design workshops
• Design a growing plan
• Design a volunteers' roles and activities
• Set up an events calendar
• Recruit volunteers
• Disseminate the project among other community projects and partners
• Plant the orchard

Barnet Communtiy Harvesters initiative only started this year, it's very grassroots and the community response has been phenomenal. Over 100 people have already engaged with the project whether that's allotmenteers growing to donate, volunteers signing up to fruit harvesting or the fruit trees guardians offering their surplus fruit. We've so far diverted over half a tonne of fruit and vegetables from waste to foodbanks, Barnet homeless action, and various other causes. Even randoms on the street, sharing the harvest is bringing joy to so many people as well as helping those most in need. In order to sustain the project we are seeking funds to develop our base and to support even more people, whether that is to get involved in community, training or well-being activities. All our activities are aimed at improving environmental awareness amongst residents and better biodiversity for the borough. We've already been supported by Barnet Council and featured on BBC London News,