Mightier together

For his latest column, Dan Tomlinson MP works with local volunteers clear up lots of waste

A group of people standing in a community centre garden — Dan Tomlinson MP with CB:CAN volunteers – (Credit – Office of Dan Tomlinson MP)

Earlier this month, I joined more than 30 volunteers at New Barnet Community Centre, with a second team at Ravenscroft Lawn Tennis Club.

In a matter of hours, we cleared around a quarter of a tonne of waste from the centre’s front garden, including an estimated 200kg of brambles and weeds blocking the path to the door.

We removed vapes and broken glass that had no business being anywhere near a space where children play. We chatted and bonded and worked hard together to transform those spaces. And enjoyed a good cup of tea, of course!

We do this together as part of my initiative, Chipping Barnet Community Action Network (CB:CAN), a network of volunteers who want to restore pride in our local area and work together to solve the problems that impact us all.

A quarter of the volunteers this month were young people. They gave up a weekend morning because they care about where they live.

We cleared the space to make way for a wildflower meadow, part of the Mini Meadow Movement’s drive to plant 600 wildflowers across Barnet, offering a vital haven for bees and other pollinators and beautifying our streets and parks. We’ll be back soon to finish the job!

This was the sixth action day run by CB:CAN, which launched in March 2026. Since April, we’ve cleared over three tonnes of waste.

It began on a doorstep, when a resident told me how bad the flytipping on Clay Lane in Edgware had become. Two weeks later, we were there to begin the job, and working with the Council we have been back again since.

At its heart, CB:CAN is something simple: caring for our community and for one another.

Volunteers have rated our Action Days 9.1 out of 10 overall, and I think that’s because people leave feeling connected as well as useful.

So please join us. Whether you have an hour or a whole weekend, there’s a place for you.

Email Tim Lornie from my team at [email protected] to get involved

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