Good Morning Neighbour! ☕
Hillingdon Council has approved plans for a brand-new M&S superstore on the edge of the patch in South Ruislip, the 2026 Harrow's Heroes winners were crowned at Headstone Manor, Spice Village Harrow opened its doors on Station Road on Thursday, Chopstix lands in Harrow next month, and a reader pointed out a class in a previous issue that had quietly stopped running. Only events with a confirmed date from now on.
In today's Good Morning Pinner:
M&S gets the green light for a full-line superstore at Victoria Retail Park, South Ruislip, opening this winter
Harrow's Heroes 2026 winners revealed at Headstone Manor, with a strong Pinner showing
Spice Village Harrow is now open on Station Road, and Chopstix lands on St Ann's Road on 4 October
A note on the events list, after a kind reader got in touch
Let’s dive in.
- Chinar
If someone forwarded this to you, you can get the Pinner updates every Sunday at goodmorningpinner.com.
This Week around HA5
Harrow's Heroes 2026 winners were crowned at the Great Barn, Headstone Manor on Wednesday evening. Eleven awards went to people quietly making the borough a better place to live, with a strong Pinner showing. Ruth Boff took Contribution to the Community after 21 years as Honorary Secretary of The Pinner Association, Pinner Rotary took the Team Award after donating over £30,000 to charities in the year to June, and Kevin Mahon (of Pinn Medical Centre Patients Association) took the Health and Wellbeing award. Standout individual wins also went to Amir Subratty, the 16-year-old Harrow Litter Pickers volunteer who started at 11, and Jordy Xavier Black, who grew 1454 Harrow Squadron RAF Air Cadets from 8 cadets to over 100 in three years. The Lifetime Achievement award went posthumously to Muriel Desmond, a Harrow Shared Lives carer for 35 years who died in June. Full list of winners and write-ups on Harrow Online.
Meet the Lovely Humans
Know someone local with a brilliant story, unusual side project, or wonderfully niche obsession? Hit reply with their name and one line about them, and we will slot them in next Sunday.
Local Business News
M&S has been approved for a full-line superstore at Victoria Retail Park in South Ruislip. The 61,000 sq ft store will replace The Range (the former Homebase) on Crown Road, with a fresh market-style food hall, in-store bakery, wine selection, fashion, home and beauty, and 332 parking spaces. Hillingdon Council gave the plans the green light this week, with the new store set to open this winter. The existing M&S Simply Food at 4 Bishops Walk in Pinner will continue to operate as normal. Read more on Harrow Online or the dedicated project site.
Spice Village Harrow is now open at 1-4 Dominion Parade, Station Road. The award-winning group soft-opened on Tuesday and held its grand opening on Thursday. Coal-grill and tandoor cooking, one of the group's largest vegetarian menus, and a Tiffin Cup and British Curry Awards pedigree. If you have been wondering what is going in next to the bus stop, the sign is now lit and the doors are open.
Chopstix opens at 59 St Ann's Road, Harrow (HA1 1JU) on Saturday 4 October at 11am. The new neighbourhood spot rounds out a busy autumn for Station Road-adjacent openings. Worth a look if you like your high street to come with a side of bao.
Spotted a new opening, refurb, hygiene-rating change, local offer or shopfront mystery? Hit reply and send it over. Bonus points if it involves a sign going up and half the high street quietly trying to work out what it means.
What’s Happening This Week
Events with (£) are paid.
General
Eastcote House Gardens Yoga Retreat | Eastcote House Gardens | Sun 20 Sep | 10am (£65) - Half-day retreat with vinyasa flow, sound bath, vegan lunch and a glass of fizz. Book here
French Cheese & Wine Tasting | Mouse & Grape, Pinner | Wed 23 Sep | 7pm (£50) - A guided tasting of four French wines, each paired with an artisan cheese, hosted by Mouse & Grape founder Jessica Summer. Book here
Activities for Children
The Littlest Yak | Harrow Arts Centre | Sun 27 Sep | 12:30pm (£14) - A musical adaptation of the award-winning children's book, with puppets, catchy tunes and an uplifting self-acceptance tale. Book here
Plan Ahead
Gentle Chair Yoga | Cannon Ln Methodist Church | Wed 30 Sep | 7:30pm (£15) - A slow, gentle evening to release tension, with calming breath, simple mantra and meditation. Book here
Comics Workshop for Kids | Creative Studio | Sun 11 Oct | 10am (£25) - BAFTA-winning animator Dan Chambers leads a screen-free workshop where children create a comic of their own to take home. 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
Seen a local sign, mystery shopfront, very specific noticeboard drama or useful community callout? Hit reply and send it over. These are the tiny things that make this newsletter much more fun than a spreadsheet wearing shoes.
Civic Updates
The Pinner Post Office closure inside the Bridge Street TG Jones is still on track for Wednesday 14 October. The two nearest alternative branches are Cannon Lane (HA5 1HR) and North Harrow (HA2 6DZ). If you want to write in before the Post Office makes its final call, the address is FREEPOST Your Comments, marked for the National Consultation Team.
A note on the events list
A reader got in touch this week to say they had turned up to a class I had advertised in a previous issue, only to find no class running. Fair feedback: I should not have been surfacing a class the organiser had quietly stopped.
I am working with event organisers to fix this. Only events with a confirmed date make the events list from now on. If you ever turn up to something in this newsletter and it is not on, hit reply and tell me, and I will fix it for the next issue.
Transport
This weekend: the Piccadilly line has planned upgrade works today and tomorrow, with no service between Hyde Park Corner and Acton Town (replacement buses DL1 and PL2 are running). The Metropolitan line is unaffected, so if you are heading into central London from Pinner, the slow line via Baker Street is the cleaner option. Buses are running normally.
Next weekend: the Piccadilly line is closed end-to-end on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 September, with no service between Cockfosters and Uxbridge, as part of the major upgrade programme ahead of the new trains rolling out. Plan ahead if you have a Heathrow or central London trip, or stick to the Metropolitan for the weekend.
Pet of the Week
Want your pet to take the highly unofficial GMP crown next week? Hit reply with one photo, their name, and the tiny household role they have appointed themselves to.
Inspiration from previous winners: Pepper the Glossy-Coat Inspector, the Junior Train Inspector at the Miniature Railway, or a certain Head of Roast-Chicken Diplomacy. Whether yours is Chief Sock Recovery Officer, Lead Investigator of Squirrel Activity, or Director of Sunrise Window Patrol, we want to hear about it.
Closing
Thank you for reading Good Morning Pinner today.
If you only do one thing today, head to Eastcote House Gardens for the yoga retreat and a slow Sunday. If you only do one planning thing this week, block out Wednesday evening for the French cheese and wine at Mouse & Grape, and Sunday week for The Littlest Yak at Harrow Arts Centre. And if you only do one good thing for your local newsletter, hit reply with an event, a story, or a sign you have spotted in passing.
Got a story, event, local win, or random neighbourhood question? Hit reply. I read every one.
See you next Sunday, same time, same place.
P.S. - If you found something useful, please share it with a neighbour!