Overview

The Loughborough Junction Action Group (LJAG) is a volunteer-led social action charity that works to improve the environment of Loughborough Junction and the lives of the people who live and work here.  It is our mission to make Loughborough Junction a great place to live and work.

LJAG works to achieve its mission through its projects which focus on community events, skill-sharing, greening, children’s activities and place-making. LJAG works to build a strong civic society in Loughborough Junction and has a record of involving volunteers across our diverse neighbourhood.

Projects include:

Loughborough Farm is a successful community food growing project, where volunteers come together on Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday to grow vegetables and to socialise.  The Loughborough Farm also has a successful outreach programme on two council estates and each summer delivers tomato plants and herbs to residents of the Loughborough Estate to grow on their balconies. The Farm is also responsible for the orchard in Wyck Gardens.

The Platform Cafe started life in April 2017 as an offshoot of the Loughborough Farm.  Open for coffee, cakes and vegetarian lunches from 11am to 3pm from Tuesday to Friday, it is unique to Loughborough Junction and continues to expand its operation. It uses surplus food supplied by City Harvest and Loughborough Farm.

Grove Adventure Playground since summer 2018 has run holiday and Saturday play schemes.  Situated in Gordon Grove, the playground has a history going back 50 years and has some of the most adventurous climbing structures in London. Over 400 children and young people between the ages of six and 14 are registered to use the playground and our popular holiday play schemes are attended by up to 75 children a day.

Craft Workshops are held every Friday during term time at the Grove Adventure Playground.  The workshops offered free access to seven sewing machines and attendees learned how to make or repair clothes, knit and crochet. The workshops combat loneliness and isolation and pass skills between the generations. We hope to resume the workshops once social distancing allows.

Wish You Were Here (WYWH) is an informal social prescribing project attached to the Loughborough Farm.  The project reaches out to GP practices, hostels and a local recovery centre to encourage referrals to the Farm to improve patient well-being. During the pandemic, WYWH has been keeping in touch with vulnerable volunteers and a number of asylum seekers.