Volunteers Transform Neglected Church Path Green Space
Residents join with Abundance London and local councillors
The volunteers take a break from working at the site
July 28, 2026
A once-overgrown corner of land on Church Path has been given a new lease of life thanks to a growing group of local volunteers working with Abundance London, the environmental charity known for its urban planting projects and guerrilla gardening. What began in 2024 as a small resident-led effort to care for the neglected green space between Church Path and Kent Road has now blossomed into a lively pocket of biodiversity.
Residents have gradually reshaped the area over the past two years, planting spring bulbs, installing insect hotels and bird boxes, creating compost heaps and even establishing a small vegetable corner. The transformation has turned an unloved patch of land into a welcoming, wildlife-friendly space that reflects the community’s commitment to improving its local environment.
On Saturday 25 July, volunteers carried out another round of improvements, clearing overgrown vegetation and opening up new pathways through the site. Southfield Liberal Democrat councillors Gary Busuttil and Gary Malcolm joined the session to support the work, helping to cut back weeds, tidy trimmed grass and create new paths. Their involvement formed part of a wider community effort led by Abundance London, whose volunteers have been central to the project’s ongoing success.
Abundance London, founded in 2010, works across West London to harvest surplus fruit, plant orchards and hedgerows, and create nature-rich spaces in urban settings. The organisation often blends planting with public art, and its projects range from formally approved schemes to guerrilla gardening interventions that reclaim neglected corners of the city.
Left: Cllr Gary Malcolm with a rake. Right: Residents tidying up the area
Councillor Gary Malcolm, Leader of the Opposition on Ealing Council and Southfield ward councillor, praised the volunteers’ work, saying the improvements had made the Church Path space “much brighter” and emphasising the importance of cultivating green areas so they are “well looked after rather than unkempt and uncared for.”
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