A community council collaboration is set to restore Northwood Recreation Ground to its former glory.
Previously in NorthwoodNews we covered an article on the community’s plea to save the ground from a number of problems such as issues with drainage turning the area into the swamp.
A community group was set up to ask Hillingdon Council to work with them on saving the beloved recreation ground.
Ben Rawson Jones who started the Friends of Northwood Recreation Ground group said that since the article in February things have only been going right.
He said: “It’s a very positive story so far, thanks to NorthwoodNews who provided a voice for the problems about the park which has since started a very positive dialogue with Hillingdon Council.
“The Friends of Northwood Recreation Ground was set up to bring residents together towards the common goal and Hillingdon have been very supportive of the group and I’ve been very impressed by their drive to protect nature.”
The group hosted their first working party in collaboration with the council in April and Ben said that lots was down to lay the foundations for restoring the Recreation Ground.
He said: “We had 12 volunteers and three council officers present working in smaller groups, we cleared an overground area which was blocking the right of way and restored a bridge which has been out of use.
“There was lots of litter picking as well. We collected several bags of rubbish, some of which has been there for years.”
Ben added that the group have big plans for the Recreation Ground in the future once the initial problems have been resolved.
He said: “We are focussing on the drainage ditches and litter picking still but we do want to get to a point where we are doing things like planting bulbs.”
There is still a lot to be solved before that can happen as Ben also said that the drainage issues which transform the Recreation Ground into a swamp are being investigated.
Above all Ben commented that the project has brought together the community towards a common goal which he said is great to see.
He said: “One thing about the working party is not just the amount of work that was getting done but some local residents met each other for the first time even though some just live a few doors apart.
“It dawned on me how important it to rebuild that connection between people.”
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