Transition Heathrow is a grassroots action group working to build resilient Heathrow communities, capable of collectively coping with the injustices and threats of climate change and peak oil.
Heres a message of support which we especially like from the local Harmondsworth scout group co-ordinator.
Just wanted to drop you a note to say thank you for all of the help that you have given us over the past year.
The allotment has been harvested and we shared our produce with not only the children’s families but also the local community. Your expertise and enthusiasm was a god send. The wildlife pond is thriving and we now have all manner of creatures visiting, the children are so proud of it and they relay the story of it’s construction to any one who is willing to listen!
We are delighted to see that you have been awarded the right to stay for the near future at Grow Heathrow. The difference you have made to the community has been immeasurable and we only wish that there were more people like yourselves willing to protect the land, the vulnerable and the community.
As you know it has been a very difficult year for many of our children as they have had to watch their friends move away and the security blanket that the community threw around it’s children has been pulled away with so many residents, young and old, leaving the area.
There has however, been one friend, a new one, that we have grown to love and respect and it is Grow Heathrow whose volunteers have been able to look these children in the eye and say we won’t leave you. The confidence you have instilled in our children has meant that they can look to the future and they now understand that with the right guidance and commitment the Villages can still be their homes and provide the safe environment that every child is entitled to grow up in.
We all love visiting Grow Heathrow where the children have learnt so many things and we hope that we can build on this with you in the future. Some of our children live in flats with no gardens so the chance to come down to Grow Heathrow and dig in the dirt is like winning 1st prize for them. And then we have our young teenagers… who, in their sulky, difficult way think you are all cool and it is really refreshing to see them responding to your advise. We have all learnt so much from the centre and you guys have given the children so much, we only hope that things will work out and that you will be able to stay at Grow Heathrow and help further develop the Centre and continue to support the community.
Having grown up in Sipson I remember the Nurseries and all of the activity that surrounded them, to see them fall into disrepair and then be used as a personal dump was heart breaking but nobody had the knowledge of how to stop this happening and then you turned up. You showed us all that we can change things and we don’t have to allow the degeneration of the area to succeed.
If human beings are being abused the law will protect them, if animals are being abused the law will protect them, let us hope that the law will also start to protect our land and stop it from being abused.
Here is the video of John Mcdonnell MP speaking in court today about the squat raids that went on across London including the raid of Grow Heathrow. This is yet another example of political policing. Solidarity with those arrested.
More photos from todays raid can be found HERE. 5 squats in total across London have now been raided. And the police claim it is all nothing to do with the Royal Wedding even though the wedding date is tomorrow. It is such an abuse of their power. Lets hope the cost of the whole operation is not being added to the Royal Wedding budget which is all being paid for by the taxpayer.
Grow Heathrow was one of 3 squats across London to be raided so far this morning. 40 Police in full riot gear turned up at 7.15 am this morning to raid the site.
In the same week as the Royal Wedding, the community market garden was raided and occupants were dragged out of their beds and searched. An hour and a half later they all left with nothing – all that was found was vegetables, chickens, bees and an enthusiasm to create a sustainable community in a world threatened by climate change.
The police tactics were completely disproportionate. If all they wanted was a tour round – they could have just taken off their uniforms and we would of given them a full tour. They might have even got a cup of tea.
Unfortunately they did not come round for a friendly visit. The raid was one of many acts of intimidation happening right now across London. This is a crackdown on people who are bored of the state and the police controlling our lives. First signs look like this was quite possibly an illegal raid which is a fundamental breach of democracy and our human rights in the UK.
More photos to follow this blog soon. We will not be intimidated. Stay safe everyone.
On the 6th March the inaugural Gardening Club was swamped by over 25 members of the local cub scout group that were keen to get their hands dirty and get the growing season off to a flying start.
They came prepared with packets of seed and an eagerness to learn. After lunch, cooked themselves on barbecues, the young group were given an introduction to what a seed is, what they need and where they come from. After this was all explained the serious business of sowing began. In a whirlwind of energy seed trays and pots were soon filled with compost and seeds waiting to erupt into a wide range of plants from beans and peas to onions, tomatoes and salad crops. Above the patter of small feet and shrill voices could be heard shouting phrases such as “I want a magic bean” and “how old do I have to be before I can live here?” As water trickled from the can so the hysteria subsided and we talked abut what would happen in the lives of the seeds we had planted. Many were destined to live out their days in the houses of the children that attended as everyone took a pot to grow at home. However, the majority are to be grown on the site until they are ready to be planted out in another workshop at the scout hall allotment.
The return of the cubs on Sunday 3rd April saw much excitement at the emergence of the seeds that they had planted a month before. We watered them and talked about the progress of growth that was occurring. The enthusiasm of the group as they were given a tour of the natural structures that we have been building to live in was amazing. Exclamations such as “I can’t believe you live in a den, that is so cool,” laid the foundations of our own construction project. Together we built a bender out of Hazel beside the pond. The day was rounded off by planting tree species that will produce wood for the construction of many more elaborate dens in the future. We also sowed seeds that instigated the start of Sipson’s biggest sunflower competition.
Please come and join in the fun. Every Sunday @Grow Heathrow from 2pm.
Underneath the concrete there’s some exciting growing going on in the middle of Brighton. A growing community of individuals have got together to transform a derelict space in the city centre of Brighton into a vibrant food growing space, the project is called Brighton Mound.
The space in Brighton has been unused and full of rubbish for 14 years now and so the Mound gardeners have proposed an alternative solution. A mutually beneficial agreement for temporary use of the vacant land which would allow the site to become a much needed community space in this age of austerity and a local food growing initiative.
Despite a violent intrusion by bailiffs the project lives on. In under 2 months, all the rubbish has been cleared, shelter and raised beds have been built, meetings and work weekends have been held, signs and banners erected and many gardening events have been attended by lots of people from the local community.
We at Transition Heathrow know how important it is to get the local community on your side and Brighton Mound seems to be achieving this too. The project has the backing of the local neighbourhood, local businesses and the green councillors.
To get involved, check out their website, donate them some stuff, send them a statement of support or get down to there next working day.
Last Sunday members of local group Hillingdon Friends of the Earth dropped in at Transition Heathrow’s Grow Heathrow site to present a cheque for £100 to buy seeds for this year’s crops.
They were shown the progress being made in clearing more of the land for tree planting and raised bed construction. Hillingdon FOE said they look forward to seeing the progress of the project in May, when the group will hold one of their regular meetings at Grow Heathrow.
June the 18th 2010 will remain in my memory for quite some time, as that morning I attended my Uncle Arthur’s funeral in the foot hills of the Pressely mountains in Pembrokeshire, West Wales. He had died peacefully in his sleep a few days earlier at the age of 87. Standing around the grave in the sunshine within a silence that exists only within this context of collective familial grief there is a bond which is rare and precious. At the wake this rare atmosphere continued but now with lots of hugs and smiles, catching up and fond memories.
Leaving then to catch the train in Cardiff, then to Paddington, onwards to West Drayton then the 222 to Sipson Lane where I met a couple of mates who were also coming to the Grow Heathrow Banquet. We arrived late, and were told that the first course was ending, so we crunched across the gravel yard to greenhouse No. 2 where a long row of tables and chairs had been sumptuously decorated and laid out, seating around 80 people and the banqueting was in full flow.
The rare feeling of family returned, yet this time a gathering of disparate fellows of differing ages, classes, nationality, races, sexuality, ability, locality, religion, politics and philosophies gathering to celebrate in this common union, collective achievements, not least amongst these, this union in itself.
The atmosphere was buzzing a bit like a very exciting wedding, panache Paddy and beautiful Becky were our hosts, our celebratory chefs were outrageous Oscar and lush Lily who had prepared a three course meal of mixed vegetable tempura with chilli and ginger dipping sauce to start, followed by bean pea and broccoli risotto with fresh home grown salad and for desert elderflower ice cream with chocolate chip shortbread finger. We drank elderflower champagne and cordial hand picked and made on the site.
During the meal we were invited to discuss the future of Grow Heathrow and Transition Heathrow with our fellow guests, share ideas with each other and to write our conclusions on the back of the menu. As the feast was coming to an end Becky and Paddy asked some of the guests to give a short speech on there contribution to this project. Linda McCutcheon, member of local protest group NOTRAG, spoke of the energy that Grow Heathrow had brought to the community and the campaign. James Clarke told of how through his work he was able to bring wood and building materials to the site. Emily James talked about her experiences filming the site take which will be included in her film ‘Just Do It’. Rachel Taylor talked about how having found that she had a brain tumour and through her contacts with Plane Stupid she discovered Grow Heathrow and how she felt that this has become her retreat. Keith Robin talked of his experience finding Grow Heathrow and how he enjoyed living with such gorgeous house mates. May Mackeith talked about how she enjoys working hard at the site but also just likes to come and chill out with her mates.
The England match was screened on a large screen, a fire was lit and general merriment went on into the small hours, as for me it all got a bit hazy from that point on and as I retired to the sofa where I like to sleep, only to find someone was cleaning up chunder where I usually lay my head! I slept well, in a chunder stain, but on this day, somehow this didn’t matter.
Two permaculture teachers, enthusiastic about Grow Heathrow, gave a free three day course there earlier this week. It was attended by over 20 people including local residents and supporters from further afield. Proving the maxim that resistance is fertile, some of the attendees are planning to start an eco-village land squat in West London later this month, armed with knowledge from their visit.
Permaculture is a set of approaches to help us create a permanent culture – on which land and food systems sustain life rather than being ravaged in the persuit of profit, and in which there is no space for aviation. It’s about working with natural systems rather than against them, both in our relationships with soil and plants, but also with each other, with social and political systems. It’s revolution disguised as gardening.
I’ve just finished my first cup of tea of the day as a robin flew around the greenhouses greeting me. Our routine at the garden has started settling into place, albeit with many interesting turns of events along the way.
One such event occurred a few nights ago. A police helicopter was circling overhead and we presumed that it was simply passing. However, as the nuisance persisted, 3 police cars pulled up at the site explaining that the helicopter was initially passing over until it noticed ‘a commotion – possibly protesters or terrorists’. This ‘commotion’ was in fact some friends from the Kew Eco Village joining us for dinner! Several neighbours and friends including Tracy, Linda, Geraldine and John McDonnell, our local MP, turned up to see what was happening. In the end the police left with their tails between their legs and we even got an apologetic visit from them the next day.
Other aspects of the garden adventure have been more productive. Our kitchen at the back of the first greenhouse is rapidly becoming the social hub of the site, complete with a hammock for lounging. It’s looking very beautiful with our collective artwork sprucing it up. There’s still lots more to do all over the site, but hopefully this weekend, the 27th – 28th March, will be fruitful in terms of numbers of visitors. We hope to build a compost toilet, glaze and repair some of the panes of glass in the greenhouses, and pot lots of fruit and veg. The front area is now clear and raked, ready for us to sow a meadow on Sunday. In the summer it will hopefully be glorious and flourishing.
A couple of pigeons are perching on the top of the greenhouse as I write; it’s nice to share quiet times with birds and bees. We couldn’t have got this far without the help, support and donations of countless people. The further we progress, the further our aspirations for the site grow. Who knows, maybe one day soon we’ll even get rid of the mound of rubbish that we’ve cleared out!
“Transition Heathrow has made a huge contribution to the local community. The prospect of a third runway meant the community had lived with the threat of extinction for the best part of a decade. It was blighted. Transition Heathrow brought vitality into a depressed community. Rarely has a piece of land been used so creatively to the benefit of local people.” by JOHN STEWART, HACAN
