The official Harrow Online Facebook Group continues to be one of the borough’s busiest online communities, with residents sharing everything from crime warnings and nostalgia to community concerns and acts of kindness on a daily basis.
Eight years after it was launched, the group has grown to well over 60,000 members, with thousands of people using it every month to ask for advice, raise local issues, share memories and warn neighbours about incidents happening across the borough.
Here are some of the posts that generated the biggest conversations last month.
Crime warnings and community safety
Several of July’s most talked-about posts centred on crime and public safety.
One anonymous resident appealed for witnesses after an alleged incident involving the abuse of a cat in Byron Park and the subsequent bottle attack on a man. The post read:
“We are urgently appealing to anyone who witnessed or recorded the incident that took place yesterday at approximately 7:00 PM in Byron Park and on the nearby street involving the abuse of a cat and the subsequent bottle attack on a man.”
The appeal asked anyone with video footage to contact police, saying it could prove crucial to the investigation.
Another anonymous post described what appeared to be an attempted distraction scam in South Harrow.
The resident explained how their uncle was approached by people in a car asking for directions before one passenger began crying and offering him money and a gold chain.
The post ended by asking: “Has anyone else encountered anything like this? It smells of a scam but unclear how it would work. Perhaps distract him then mug him?”
A separate anon contributor also warned residents after meeting an elderly man in Lidl, Harrow Weald, who they said had allegedly been robbed of his gold chain by people using a similar distraction technique.
Meanwhile, concerns about anti-social behaviour in South Harrow also struck a chord after Alan Biling shared a post from the Harrow Online Community group, another official group linked to Harrow Online.
It read: “We’ve recently seen groups of people drinking, shouting, fighting and stealing. It’s becoming upsetting for local businesses, staff, customers and families walking through the area.”
A video was shared showing the alleged behaviour. The post proved popular and prompted dozens of comments from residents sharing similar experiences.
Litter, respect and everyday frustrations
Community pride was another recurring theme. One of the month’s most shared discussions came after Brando To criticised GCSE students for leaving revision papers scattered across a Harrow underpass after finishing their exams.
He wrote: “Look, I get it. Finishing GCSEs is a massive weight off your shoulders.”
Before adding: “We all live in Harrow. Let’s show our area a bit more love.”
The post sparked a lively debate, with many agreeing that celebrating exam season shouldn’t come at the expense of leaving litter behind.
Residents also voiced frustration over litter caused by takeaway packaging, with Marcelo Flavio posting about what he described as Harrow’s growing drive-thru litter problem.
Memories of a changing Harrow
Not every popular post focused on current issues.
One nostalgic photograph showing Sopers department store in Harrow town centre during the summer of 1979 prompted hundreds of memories from long-time residents.
Celia Margaret recalled: “Remember when it was Sopers and used to go there on a Saturday with my mum and nana…”
While Carol Godwin wrote: “I lived in Wealdstone and this was our big shopping centre to go to as kids.”
The post quickly became a place for residents to reminisce about shops, cafés and family trips into Harrow decades ago.
Helping one another
Many of the group’s biggest discussions also showed residents supporting each other.
Posts asking for help with housing, cleaning following surgery, identifying animals and discussing NHS investment all attracted significant engagement throughout July.
Are you a member of the group? if not you can request to join here.
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Chris Mitchell is the founder and editor of Harrow Online, Harrow’s leading local news platform.
He launched Harrow Online in 2010 as a Facebook page sharing local news and information. Since then, it has grown into a trusted source for breaking news, crime, council decisions, planning, transport, business and community stories across the borough.
Harrow Online reaches hundreds of thousands of readers each month and has a social media audience of more than 200,000 followers.
For news tips, press releases or enquiries, contact Chris at info@harrowonline.org.
