Welcome to the latest edition of the ParkLife newsletter!

We know, our news articles can be a bit like Marmite - you either love 'em or think they're drivel. But hey, that's the beauty of our diverse community, isn't it?

ParkLife Newsletter: The Marmite Edition!

Whether it’s the highlight of your day or something you'd prefer to chuck in the compost (We keep things electronic, to help the wonderful Harrow Litter Pickers save the planet), we’ve managed to pack this issue with a delightful mix of wisdom, wit, waffle and pure unbelievableness.

We’re all gloriously unique, fabulously quirky, and slightly unhinged—and that's what makes us so darn entertaining! So, grab your favourite biscuit (yes, even the soggy one), get comfy, and dive into our mishmash of a newsletter.

We’re The Friends of Harrow Weald, and let’s be honest, time is not be our friend, but at least we’re all in this chaotic dance together!

 

Article Index

ParkLife Café

Harrow Weald Recreation Ground, Aka Boxtree Park

Directions to ParkLife (Opens new window) 07749 155711

Join us on social media

 

ParkLife Update:

Together we can achieve remarkable things! Let's keep spreading love, positivity, and laughter throughout our community, making every day an adventure to remember. With boundless joy and bug-filled dreams.

Look at life in a holistic way.

Together we can all enjoy the fruits of living and nature.

ParkLife Café is run by a small full-time team and our community of volunteers, liberally sprinkled with kindness and nice natured people, a place where you can chat and relax with others, while enjoying tasty fresh food and a variety of drinks at community prices.

Within this glorious and tiniest of buildings, there is a cafe style diner type of restaurant halls, with small meeting rooms, peaceful areas, small table games indoors and great outdoor community games tables (coming soon), a small library, an art gallery for local artists to display their work and a community of inspiration.

The aim is to create an area of openness, catering for the needs of many people, by providing, as well as a quiet and reflective place, a happy and welcoming environment to share with a group.  A place to enjoy events, sport and where people can develop respect for the environment and each other.

We are always looking back and forward

Looking back helps us see what we have learnt, how far we have come, enjoy today, and looked shocked at how things have evolved. Looking forward helps us focus on the many different projects that have sprouted up, and start planning three different ParkLife community events we are excited to announce.

 

Together we can achieve remarkable things! Let's keep spreading love, positivity, and laughter throughout our community, making every day an adventure to remember. With boundless joy and bug-filled dreams.

The Harrow Weald Heath Hub.

Nothing is really one size fits all, we are all individuals and different, yet everything is interconnected in different ways.

It is difficult to put into words how things fall together so perfectly for the good of everyone.

In the past months we have seen volunteers take over many of the needs to help keep ParkLife ticking. Each person enjoys their time getting involved and spending time with others.

Projects take time to build and settle, we are always looking for volunteers to help deliver projects, some people spend just two hours, others offer help remotely.

In September we will be making some changes and would like to find a few extra volunteers to help with community events, volunteering @ ParkLife does not mean we can only offer café volunteering, come in and chat with our peeps and find your place.

Together, we need your awesomeness to complete the picture!

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This is for our friends from Nepal

We are absolutely bursting with pride to announce that Andy Hannons work has made a splash in an incredible news article about events happening right here at ParkLife Cafe.

This piece is being circulated across several Asian newspapers.
 
 
London — Park Life Café was abuzz with interested residents last Thursday (6th June 2024) as the ongoing partnership between Imperial College London and the Enderley Road Patients’ Association presented another informative talk. This initiative, spearheaded by Bipin Dattani and ParkLife Team  fosters a unique collaboration between world-class researchers and Harrow residents. Read More

 

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Dishwasher Diaries: The UDATE Thank You, Overachievers!

During June we reached out for support to fill our dishwasher in aid of the planet.

Magnificent legends! A colossal thank you to everyone who flocked to our café and took up the noble task of filling our dishwasher. You’ve outdone yourselves in ways we didn’t even think possible. Seriously, our target was not just met, it was obliterated!

Now, because of your overwhelming support, our clipboard-wielding, overly serious-suited researchers are back to the drawing board. Yep, they didn’t plan for such a wildly successful response (massive thank you to all that helped) and now must redo their entire study. It’s chaos in the best possible way. So, the suits are now scrambling to crunch new numbers,

For the foodies out there:

We’ve got you covered: meat-eaters, vegetarians, kosher, halal, vegans, everyone is welcome! 

 

THIS MONTHS EVENTS

Imperial College London (PerC)

Cancer Loyalty Card Study (CLOCS) An observational case-control study of purchase behaviour prior to ovarian cancer diagnosis

The Cancer Loyalty Card Study (CLOCS) is an observational case-control study developed to test this hypothesis. The main results from CLOCS show that purchases of pain and indigestion medication were detected up to 8 months prior to diagnosis for ovarian cancer patients compared with controls. This occurs well in advance of the patient’s self-reported first GP visit approximately 3.5 months prior to diagnosis.

This is the final Imperial session for the summer.

We have started to put the archive of these sessions online, including the presentation notes.

 

-----------------------------

Corporate bonding session for community

Sustaining Harmony is a new charity CIO, and created to fundraise to support choirs like More Than Just A Choir, which has been around since 2009.  

Team building or a thank you!

To book a Busby club for group session for your community group or charity click here to find out how

Do you hold a raffle to raise money for your activities?

We want to give you a FREE prizes for your to raffle. 

  • It costs you nothing
  • You keep all the proceeds

 

 

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Walk Into Wellbeing is a FREE, 4-week course designed to nurture you with gentle exercise and nature connection.

Each week will be a therapeutic experience where we will take a gentle walk around Bentley Priory Nature Reserve. The walks will be interspersed with nature-connection activities based on the theme of our senses.
Anyone can apply but we particularly hope to target older people, people who are isolated, carers, or those who may be struggling with their mental health.
--------------------------

OFF THE WALL

The affordable art exhibition: Saturday, 6th July 2024, from 4 pm to 6 pm

Hold on to your berets and grab your monocles!

We are beyond thrilled (and slightly giddy) to invite you to the most fabulous, fantastic, and fun-filled art event of the century:

The Affordable Art Exhibition @ ParkLife opening Saturday 6th July. 

We're partnering with the Harrow Arts Society to bring you an evening of creativity, camaraderie, and copious amounts of wine.

Prepare yourself for an evening of: Chill and Chat and rubbing  elbows with the artists, engage in deep, philosophical conversations (or just gossip about the latest celebrity scandals, no judgment here).  Feast your eyes on the latest masterpieces from our talented Harrow Artists. Off The Wall is our artists' lair, a feast for the eyes, the mind, taste, and the soul. 

Every few weeks, we flip the script and rotate all the artwork, so there's always something fresh and exciting to enjoy. It's like an art gallery on a merry-go-round!

ParkLife Gallery Opening Times:

Open whenever you need an artistic fix. Directions to ParkLife? Just follow the trail of paint splatters and creative vibes.

Next Off The Wall Rotation: Come on down and join us for a wild ride through the world of affordable art. It's free, it's fun, and it's the perfect way to soak in the ParkLife vibes!

With outrageous excitement and artistic enthusiasm.

 

NICE PEOPLE - One person can make a difference

Positivity Prevails: A Heartfelt Thank You from ParkLife

Why must news always be so negative? They say bad news travels faster, and the minority who create mayhem seem to get a louder voice.

Does positivity really beat negativity? At ParkLife, we would like to say thank you and show you why it does!

There are bad things that go on around us all, we try and focus on good and positivity.

The fabric of life works in funny ways.

Sustaining Harmony is a new charity CIO, and created to fundraise to support choirs like More Than Just A Choir, which has been around since 2009.  

To book a Busby club for group session for your community group or charity click here to find out how

  • It costs you nothing
  • You keep all the proceeds

 

 

--------------------------------------------------

One person can make a difference.

Believe in your inner self, follow your instincts, and find one of these awesome groups around Harrow to spend time with. They may be a bit nuts, but they are always kind and caring people, and there is nothing healthier than caring for the

We are over-the-top shocked at some data just presented to us last week about how ParkLife has evolved and how Harrow is changing for the good with people power.

Harrow Litter Pickers: The Fabulous Clean-Up Crew

Take the fabulous Harrow Litter Pickers as an example. This community of caring residents is all about positivity, with bursts of humour at what they find—probably flabbergasted by some ancient relics! The HLP numbers are growing with kind people, community groups, and individuals of all ages embracing one simple objective: keeping our community nicer. The litterers? A minority who has yet to grasp the joy of a cleaner Harrow.

Park Groups, Nature Groups, and More

From park groups to nature enthusiasts, Harrow is buzzing with free events, choirs, arts, and charities helping specific areas of our society. Community groups are encouraging wildflowers around the borough. Nature, humans, bugs, and all are important to the wellbeing of us all.

A Special Thank you to the all the people that make a difference throughout Harrow, everything starts with one person or a small group of amazingly thoughtful individuals. and again thank you, Graham, for understanding the 103-year-old lady's words: “She would take life over age.” your support has been instrumental in making ParkLife a reality and showing that love for others is the driving force behind our community's success.

We celebrate the power of positivity and all the incredible people of Harrow who make it all possible!

 

Together we can achieve remarkable things! Let's keep spreading love, positivity, and laughter throughout our community, making every day an adventure to remember. With boundless joy and bug-filled dreams.

Look at life in a holistic way - The Bug Squad.

The ParkLife Bug Squad

When Team ParkLife started, the sentiment was always for bugs and humans alike.

ParkLife is for people – The same level of care will be afforded to bugs

Over the coming few weeks, we will be rolling out some incredible plans created by some amazing caring and clever people.

Nothing we will be doing is different from anything you have already seen; however, The ParkLife Bug Squad have broken boundaries and exceeded expectation.

The word we would use at this stage is extreme convergence.

Part of this plan will involve putting bugs centre stage with education and community involvement.

WIN A PIZZA - Could you design a bug squad logo?

-----------------------------------

This is for our friends from Nepal

We are absolutely bursting with pride to announce that Andy Hannons work has made a splash in an incredible news article about events happening right here at ParkLife Cafe.

This piece is being circulated across several Asian newspapers.
 
 
London — Park Life Café was abuzz with interested residents last Thursday (6th June 2024) as the ongoing partnership between Imperial College London and the Enderley Road Patients’ Association presented another informative talk. This initiative, spearheaded by Bipin Dattani and ParkLife Team  fosters a unique collaboration between world-class researchers and Harrow residents. Read More

 

------------------------------------------

Dishwasher Diaries: The UDATE Thank You, Overachievers!

During June we reached out for support to fill our dishwasher in aid of the planet.

Magnificent legends! A colossal thank you to everyone who flocked to our café and took up the noble task of filling our dishwasher. You’ve outdone yourselves in ways we didn’t even think possible. Seriously, our target was not just met, it was obliterated!

Now, because of your overwhelming support, our clipboard-wielding, overly serious-suited researchers are back to the drawing board. Yep, they didn’t plan for such a wildly successful response (massive thank you to all that helped) and now must redo their entire study. It’s chaos in the best possible way. So, the suits are now scrambling to crunch new numbers,

For the foodies out there:

We’ve got you covered: meat-eaters, vegetarians, kosher, halal, vegans, everyone is welcome! 

 

PROJECT UPDATES

Free means inclusion:

  • Over 94.5% of our community events are free. 

Harrow Weald Health Hub

  • Bridging the blues the Post Stroke Healthy Lifestyle Club
    The Diabetes peer support groups
    Busby Clubs for community groups
    Busby Clubs for carers 

Off The Wall

  • Bi -Monthly events
  • Harmony Hubs

Imperial College London

  • Resetting in September 

 

Harrow Weald Health Hub

it's not about fixing ailments but rather nurturing wellness through engaging discussions.

  • No operations
  • No drugs
  • Just interesting chats! 

Off The Wall

Sharing art and artists work with the community, showing the work of amazing people who create art.

  • Off The Wall
  • Off The Rack
  • Off The Table

 

 

Harmony Hubs

Crafting weekends centred on national holidays and religious celebrations

  • We craft with art
  • We craft with stories
  • We craft with imagination

Busby Clubs

Busby clubs are about people getting together to enjoy time in peaceful

  • Busby Clubs 4 Unpaid Carers
  • Busby clubs 4 Groups
  • Busby club Your voice

 

 

 

ParkLife is a project

A community full ideas that is pulled together in partnership with kindness to others

  • Creating tomorrow's parks today!
  • Nothing would be possible without everyone
  • Situated in the tiniest, glorious of buildings

Litter picking project

One piece of litter at a time! Kudos to our community groups. Through this project you can:

  • Loan litter picking equipment
  • Collect litter picking bags
  • Loan equipment for community groups

 

 

Environmental Projects

Recycling is an issue that cannot be solved without everyone being onboard.

  • Nature projects
  • Recycling project
  • Apples & Pears recycling

Smart Park Project

A smart park is not really smart. It’s more about being smart in it’s uses for the community.

  • This online community project is open source
  • Share community information between groups
  • Share your skills

 

 

Removed

 

ParkLife café is a community, powered by partnerships with everyone from volunteers to sponsors, even the mighty Imperial College London!

Here's the scoop on what we've got brewing:

Harrow Weald Health Hub: Who needs a doctor when you've got engaging discussions? Say goodbye to ailments and hello to wellness!

Off The Wall: Prepare to be dazzled by the talent in our midst! From jaw-dropping art to awe-inspiring artists, we've got it all.

Harmony Hubs: Craft your heart out at our crafting weekends, where we celebrate holidays and religious traditions with a twist of imagination!

Busby Clubs: Take a break from the chaos and unwind in our peaceful oasis. If you're an unpaid carer, or just looking for some R&R and chat with others, there's a Busby club with your name on it!

Litter picking project: Together, we're making a difference, one piece of litter at a time! Kudos to our community groups.
 
ParkLife: Our pride and joy, where tomorrow's parks are born today! Join us in our tiny but mighty mission to spread kindness and create a greener, happier community.
 
Environmental Projects: Get your hands dirty and make a difference! From litter-picking to recycling, we're saving the planet one project at a time.
 
Smart Park Project: Who needs a genius park when you've got a smart one? Dive into our open-source online project and share your skills with the community!
 
Parks Wellbeing & You!: Discover the magic of parks and well-being in our interactive sessions. Because life is too short to stress—let's find some positive solutions together!
 
Community Action Committee: Humans, bugs, and everything in between, unite! Let's tackle life's challenges with a smile and show society who's boss, with nature, kindness and community as our guide.

So come on down and join the fun at ParkLife café, we can't wait to meet you!

SOCIAL MARKETING

Real Projects, Real People:

Let your business shine within the community with exciting projects that real folks can get behind.

  • Leaflets at events
  • Treats and table leaflets community meals
  • Each events different opportunities (See below)
  • Online news article:
  • Newsletter:
  • Inhouse Monitors
  • Social Media:
  • ParkLife Cafe:

Example community projects available to you:

MORON CHRONICLES

Attention, all purveyors of chaos and negativity,

Welcome to the Moron Chronicles, where we shine a spotlight on those who defy logic and leave us scratching our heads in disbelief.

But beware, for while we may showcase the absurdity of certain individuals, our focus remains on positivity and community building.

So, if you're here, there or anywhere spreading negativity, you're in the wrong place in your life. Instead, join us in our mission to uplift and inspire through our growing network of kind community partnerships.

Nature controls everything

Mustard Marmite

 

 

 

 

THANK YOU....................

Clubcard holders

The Club cardholders have collectively contributed to help much needed extra support for our projects.

Ready for the Extra Perks? Check These Out:

  • Fill your belly with a 10% discount on delicious ParkLife Café food. (Because who doesn't love saving while enjoying a tasty treat?)
  • Get 5% off all private bookings. (Your wallet will thank you for this one.)
  • Score exclusive discounts on some fancy ticketed events. (We've got your back for a fun night out!)
  • Get the VIP treatment with early bird invitations to events. (Be the envy of your friends, always in the know.)
  • Unlock the secret door to club card holder-only events. (You're now officially part of the caring for others club.)

And the lovely people that make ParkLife Cafe!

Click here to purchase your supporters clubcard.

 

Together we can achieve remarkable things! Let's keep spreading love, positivity, and laughter throughout our community, making every day an adventure to remember. With boundless joy and bug-filled dreams.

 

 

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Get ParkLife News 

We know, our news articles can be a bit like Marmite - you either love 'em or think they're drivel. But hey, that's the beauty of our diverse community, isn't it?

  • Project updates
  • ParkLife Talks
  • Harmony Hubs
  • Busby clubs
  • Off The Wall
  • Litter Picking News
  • ParkLife and local community event details. 
  • Social Marketing
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