Good Morning Neighbour! ☕
The word "candidate" comes from the Latin candidatus, meaning "clothed in white", because Roman office-seekers wore bright white togas while campaigning.
Which is a bold choice, considering I can barely keep a white T-shirt safe through lunch.
In today's Good Morning Pinner:
Pinner Village Gardens has new information boards for your next park wander
Parents have a free baby first-aid session to look into
Tuesday is the last day to apply for a proxy vote or free Voter Authority Certificate before the Harrow local elections
Let’s dive in.
- Chinar
If someone forwarded this to you, you can get the Pinner updates every Sunday at goodmorningpinner.com.
This Week in HA5
A practical week with a few small but genuinely useful things to know.
Pinner Village Gardens has new information boards. This is the park behind The Whittington, not near Chapel Lane. A nice little upgrade if you like knowing what you are walking past.
Election admin is nearly done, promise: if you need a proxy vote or free Voter Authority Certificate, the deadline is Tuesday 28 April 2026 at 5pm. Election details
The local candidate lists are now published. Pinner has 14 candidates for 3 seats, Pinner South has 13 candidates for 3 seats, and Hatch End has 8 candidates for 2 seats. Candidate statement
Meet the Lovely Humans
Know someone local with a brilliant story, unusual side project, or wonderfully niche obsession? Send their name and one line about them here.
Local Business News
Pinner / Ruislip Networking Brunch is listed for Wednesday 29 April, 10am at The Water's Edge, Ruislip Lido for local founders, freelancers and business owners.
Launching something local in May? Send it here and I will feature selected updates next issue.
What’s Happening This Week
Events with (£) are paid.
General
Gala Academy Badminton | St John's School, Pinner | Sun 26 Apr | 7pm (£) - Coached badminton for adults and children 5+. Bookings
Board Game Mondays | Queen's Head | Mon 27 Apr | 7:30pm - Free entry, bring your game face.
Quiz Night | Queen's Head | Tue 28 Apr | 8pm (£) - £2 entry, with £1 going to Mount Vernon Cancer Centre.
Wine & Chocolate Tasting | Mouse & Grape | Wed 29 Apr | 7pm (£) - Four wines paired with handcrafted chocolates from Rye Chocolates. Book here
Quiz Night | Three Wishes Pinner | Wed 29 Apr | 7:30pm (£) - £3 entry per person, with a £50 bar tab for the winning team.
Sound Bath | Pinner Village Hall | Wed 29 Apr | 7:30pm (£) - A calm midweek reset for mind and body. More info
Quiz Night | The Ascott | Wed 29 Apr | 8pm (£)
Speed Quiz | The Whittington | Thu 30 Apr | 8pm (£) - £3 entry, with cash prizes on offer.
Ruislip Country Market | St Martin's Approach Car Park | Fri 1 May | 10am-12pm
Duck Pond Market | Manor Farm, Ruislip | Sun 3 May | 10am-3pm - First-Sunday food and craft market at Manor Farm. Market details
Activities for Children
Junior Parkrun | Pinner Village Gardens | Sun 26 Apr | 9-9:45am
Crafternoon Time | Roxborough Heights, HA1 | Mon 27 Apr | 11am (£) - Weekly family crafts and activities.
Kids Kung Fu | Harrow High School | Tue 28 Apr | 5:45pm and 6:30pm (£) - Two age groups for 4-6 and 7-13 year olds. More info
Evening Baby and Toddler Swimming Lessons | John Lyon Prep School | Wed 29 Apr | 6:30pm (£) - Parent and child lessons for ages 3 months to 4 years.
U9s Training and Trials | Parkfield Youth FC | Wed 29 Apr | 6-7pm - Contact Jason at 07772671464 before attending.
Baby 'n' Toddler Sensory Sound Journey | Pinner Methodist Church | Thu 30 Apr | 2pm (£) - A calming sensory sound session for babies, toddlers and parents.
Futsal Class | Barnhill High School | Fri 1 May | 5:30pm (£) - Weekly session for all abilities.
Weekly Classes
Boogie Knights | Bishop Winnington Ingram Primary School | Every Mon and Tue | 7am (£) - Dance themed fitness for all levels. Book here
Beginners Pilates | Pinner Village Hall | Every Tue | 9:45am (£) - Calm and friendly Pilates for beginners and returners. Book here
Tai Chi | Harrow High School | Every Wed | 6pm (£) - Beginners Wu Style Tai Chi class. Book here
Women Only Self Defence | Harrow High School | Every Thu | 7pm (£) - Self defence class taught by a female instructor. Book here
The events and activities list is growing as I speak with more organisers each week. Reply to this email and let me know what you'd like to see here!
Organising an event? Submit it here to get it added.
Community Corner
From the inbox: a Rayners Lane reader wrote, "I live in Rayners Lane and NOTHING ever happens here... It is nice to see there are other things around the area, which gives us a chance to escape the boredom of takeaway city!" If GMP has helped you find a tiny local escape, hit reply and tell me where you went.
Free baby first-aid session for parents: Harrow Nursery and Montessori is running a mini session covering what to do if a baby is choking. Useful, practical, and very much the kind of thing future-you will be grateful past-you noticed.
Walking to Wellness is running at Harrow Viewpoint. It is a free six-week walking programme supported by TfL, with a focus on walking with poles, balance, strength and confidence.
Hatch End Station is looking for flower-display volunteers for the summer. If watering, tidying and making a station look a bit more loved sounds like your thing, this one is worth a reply or local follow-up.
Boiler House Fest 2026 applications close on Wednesday 29 April at 10pm. If you have a performance, creative idea, or community project that could fit Harrow Arts Centre, this is your warm little shove. Apply here
Northwood FC has a celebrity charity match on Bank Holiday Monday 4 May raising funds for Mount Vernon Cancer Centre Charity, with gates open from midday and the celebrity match at 3pm. Event details
Transport
Piccadilly line reminder for today: no service between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge because of planned upgrade works, so use the Metropolitan line for that stretch. TfL Piccadilly upgrade details
The Amersham/Chesham/Watford branch of the Metropolitan line has no service next weekend. Replacement buses will operate.
Civic Updates
Harrow local elections are on Thursday 7 May 2026, 7am-10pm. If voting in person, you will need a photo ID.
Tuesday 28 April at 5pm is the deadline to apply for a proxy vote or a free Voter Authority Certificate. A tiny piece of admin, yes, but a very annoying one to remember too late. Election details
Local candidate snapshot: Pinner voters are choosing 3 councillors from 14 candidates; Pinner South voters are choosing 3 from 13; Hatch End voters are choosing 2 from 8. Candidate statement
Harrow's Local Plan feedback window is still open for people who took part in the examination process. Comments to the Planning Inspectorate are due by Friday 8 May 2026. Local Plan update
Pet of the Week
Meet Nova.
Say hi to Nova!
📸 Connor
Nova is our beautiful rescue who loves cuddles and has to be the centre of attention! She loves chasing after a ball in the park and has an obsession with teddy's.
A big thank you to Connor for letting us meet Joey this week.
Want your pet featured? Send one photo, their name, and one chaotic personality trait this way.
Closing
Thank you for reading Good Morning Pinner today.
If you only do one useful thing this week, check whether you need that voter ID or proxy vote deadline. If you do two, tell me where in HA5, Rayners Lane, Eastcote or nearby you go when you need a local change of scene.
See you next Sunday, same time, same place.
P.S. - If you found something useful, please share it with a neighbour!