Volunteer fruit pickers are hoping for a bumper harvest of surplus produce to support foodbanks across the London Borough of Barnet.

Barnet Community Harvesters, established four years ago by Daniella Levene (above, left), are finding that this autumn’s crop of apples and pears is far better than a year ago.

There are also unwanted plums and damsons waiting to be picked.

Fruit picking began in late August and after a couple of weeks the volunteers have already collected over 200 kilogrammes of fruit.

Last year was a poor year.

Across 14 picking events the team managed to harvest only 367 kilogrammes of fruit, mostly apples and a few pears and damsons – well down on their record year of 2022 when the harvesters donated 1,800 kilogrammes to foodbanks.

“There is never any problem distributing the surplus fruit,” said Daniella.

“There is always demand from the foodbanks and when there is so much fruit that might otherwise go to waste or be left to rot, our efforts are so worthwhile and are so valued within the wider community.”

Daniella was among the visitors at this year’s open day organised by the New Barnet Allotment Society and was welcomed by the society’s chair Jenny Forbes (above, right).

The society manages two group of allotments, in Clifford Road and Tudor Road, New Barnet.

Together the two sites have a combined total of 132 standard-sized 10 pole plots, and they make up one of the largest allotment societies in the borough with around 160 individual plot holders.

Community Harvesters have picked surplus fruit from the New Barnet allotments in two previous years.

Jenny is hoping that this winter Daniella and her team will hold a workshop on fruit tree pruning.

One of the long-term aims of Community Harvesters is to nurture fruit trees across the borough.

“We so admire what Daniella, and her volunteers do for the community,” said Jenny.

“We already do all we can to ensure any surplus produce finds a good home at the Barnet Food Hub and Chipping Barnet Foodbank.”

There was a good turnout of visitors for the allotment open day.

 Jenny helped on the produce stall along with Maggie Curati (second left) and Flavia Woodhouse, who has been a plot holder at Clifford Road allotments since 1971 -- and who says she is now taking it a little easier having reduced to half a plot!

Demand for allotments shows no sign of waning – the New Barnet Society has a two to three year waiting list.

“We had to go easy on allotment holders during the covid pandemic but because there are so many people waiting for a plot, we think it is only reasonable that they should be properly cultivated,” said Jenny.

“So, we are doing all we can to encourage people to maintain their plots.

“If warnings have no effect, then we do enforce three months’ termination.”

The Clifford Road allotments, which are on an ideal south-facing site, were started in the 1920s for workers employed by the surgical appliance manufacturers Maw’s who moved to New Barnet just over a century ago.

After opening a new factory, the company set up its own sports ground, built the Tudor Park pavilion in 1920 and established the allotments which were in full use by the early1930s.

“Residents of New Barnet are the beneficiaries of these well-established allotments, and we are proud of being a friendly, welcoming community.”

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