Video Celebrating the 5th Willesden Green Wassail

Willesden's local harvest yields fruit, wine, cider, chutney and crumbles!

Photo: Jonathan Goldberg

Brent's fruit picking groups have had a bumper harvest this year, saving almost three tons of fruit that would otherwise go to waste in local gardens. The three groups, “Kensal to Kilburn Fruit Harvesters”, “Willesden Fruit Harvesters” and “Mapesbury Residents' Association” (MapRA) have between them picked a record amount of fruit, which has been shared with local schools and community groups.

Fight fruit waste by 'shaking the tree'

A talk and film about harvesting local fruit, organised by Transition Willesden, is taking place on Monday 2^nd July in Willesden.  The event will mark the Transition group’s first anniversary and is being held at St Mungo’s in Pound Lane at 7.30pm.

This will be a chance to find out about harvesting apples that would otherwise fall and rot in local gardens. A short film 'Shaking the Tree' on fruit harvesting in Kensal to Kilburn, made by Willesden photographer Jonathan Goldberg, will be shown.  Michael Stuart and Viv Stein will be talking about how they set up a group that has picked 3.5 tons of apples, pears, plums and cherries from city gardens in Kensal to Kilburn, and lead a discussion of how to start a harvesting group in Willesden.

Dollis Hill resident and Transition Willesden Co-ordinator, Viv Stein, says, “Picking fruit that otherwise goes to waste is a fantastic way to connect people with local, free and fresh food in their community.  We want to encourage residents to come along and get involved in a new fruit harvesting group in Willesden.”

Kilburn resident and Transition Kensal to Kilburn’s Local Fruit Harvesters Co-ordinator, Michael Stuart, says, “150 people help harvest apples and pears in Kilburn, it’s such a popular project. We already know about lots of fruit trees in Willesden so just need Willesden residents to make it happen.”

The meeting is being held in the Activity Room, St Mungo's, 115 Pound Lane, Willesden, NW10 2HU (opposite Willesden bus garage) on Monday 2^nd July at 7.30pm.  All are welcome to attend.  This is a free event, refreshments are available and donations are welcome.  For more information about the event see  LINK