The largest Halloween event in West Ealing, which has now been running for 4 years, was back this Saturday 26th October to welcome families into the allotments for a night of fun!

 

A total of 150 pumpkins were carved for the event with £50 worth donated by Tesco and some being carved from those grown at the allotments.

 

In an interview with Christina Fox, the chair of the Northfields Allotments, I found out that the idea for this event came in 2016 after the landlord wanted to use the grounds to build housing. The Northfields Allotments are the oldest in London and were created in 1832; with 60% of the allotment space already gone to create housing that is over the road, the importance to keep this part of history present as well as the beautiful environment was a must. Money needed to be raised to prevent this from occurring, so the event was created, and the fight was won. The first year this event took place, Christina was afraid no one would show up so stood outside of Northfields Station with leaflets. Amazingly, the event was a huge success with roughly 4000 people attending.

 

During the pumpkin trail, families can walk around the allotments in a circular route and have the chance to see what goes on inside the 900m hedgerow. Dressing up is optional but adds to the fun and experience.

 

There is a strong sense of community throughout the allotments and until open days began, people from the outside weren’t allowed in. The open days give people the opportunity to see and understand that this is “a place that is worth caring about and that’s worth protecting”, as told by Christina.

 

Aside from running open days, the gardeners run social events for themselves to create and build the community there; otherwise, due to the size of the allotments, some will never meet. With a 2-3 year waiting list, the allotments are just as relevant today as they were when they first opened. Of the 141 plots on the site, one has belonged to the same gardener for the last 30 years.

 

Even with the rain and poor weather, the Northfields Allotment Halloween Pumpkin Trail was full of children and adults dressed up in costumes including witches and vampires. If you missed the event this year, I’m certain that with the success it has had it will definitely run again this time next year so make sure to not miss it!

 

Emilie Brown