Category: Events

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“When Will They Ever Learn?” – blue plaque rebuke for Barnet Council’s highways team over fallout from ban on parking 

A blue plaque has been installed outside a house in Calvert Road to draw attention to an ongoing dispute between residents and Barnet Council over the painting of double yellow line parking restrictions at the junction with Sebright Road.

Their complaint is that the council refused to listen to their concerns and has failed to respond to their argument that the restrictions are excessive and have created a dangerous corner by speeding up traffic.

Dr Chris Nightingale commissioned the plaque – highlighting the refrain “When Will They Ever Learn?” from a 1950s Pete Seeger’s protest song – to remind Barnet Councillors that they should engage with residents and take their concerns seriously.

He says residents of Sebright and Calvert feel ignored and abandoned. Traffic speeds around their narrow streets of mainly small cottages and terraced homes have increased as a result of a double-yellow line restriction which they believe is longer than at other comparable road junctions.

So far there has been no response to a letter they sent to the council’s chief executive, Cath Shaw, reminding her of Barnet’s core values such as the undertaking by councillors to “actively listen, respond, collaborate and share ideas” with residents.

The legend around the edge of the plaque could not be clearer:

“Plaque commemorates the failure of Barnet Council to listen – thereby creating a dangerous corner and loss of parking.”

The dispute with the council over the parking restrictions began in June last year and finally the council went ahead with painting the yellow lines – an operation which did not go smoothly for the council’s contractors.

This prompted a rebuke from the council:

“Unfortunately, several vehicle owners did not follow the request to keep the junction clear to facilitate the line marking installation and it was necessary to arrange for the presence of a vehicle lifter.

“Council contractors were verbally abused. We expect contractors to be free to undertake work in a safe environment.

“Contractors asked for the council’s community safety team to attend when contractors returned.”

Blue plaque in Sebright Road, Barnet, rebukes Barnet Council for frailing to listen over residents objections to doube yellow line parking restrictions

Mrs Louise Cain (above, second from right) organised a petition to protest at the proposed parking restriction but it was rejected because it had not reached the minimum number of 500 signatures.

Although a letter sent by the group to Cath Shaw had not been acknowledged, she said a reply from the council’s highways team did not address their complaints about the lack of consultation and the fair treatment of residents’ concerns.

They were told to approach their local councillors to seek support if they wished to make a request regarding road safety design or parking as the highways team had already attended to review their concerns.

“Unfortunately, the reply we have received is very confused. We think the double yellow lines are too long and that other junctions in the vicinity have far less severe restrictions,” said Mrs Cain.

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As Dollis Valley regeneration about to move ahead, launch of new job club will offer help and support to gain skills and employment

A job club is being established at the Hope Corner Community Centre in Mays Lane, Barnet, offering three sessions a week aimed at giving advice on employment and training and a chance to learn new skills.

A year’s funding for the club coincides with an imminent start on completing the Dollis Valley estate regeneration with the construction of 221 new homes at affordable rents.

Guidance on job opportunities and training will be provided each Tuesday afternoon by Boost, Barnet Council’s employment and advice service (from 1pm to 4pm).

The Shaw Trust will hold a drop-in session on Friday mornings offering advice on health and job support programmes (from 9.30am to 2pm).

A tailoring and sewing course – a free make and mend programme – will equip those taking part for job and business opportunities.

Julian Desborough (above, far right), secretary of Barnet Churches Action which established the community centre ten years ago, said they recognised the need for advice on employment and training.

Demand is likely to increase once demolition starts in preparation for the final completion of phases four and five of the Dollis Valley regeneration.

Work on the replacement Brook Valley Gardens estate has been stalled since 2023 but despite further delays and a fresh disagreement about the split between private and social housing, Mr Desborough said their hope and expectation was that the regeneration was back on track.  

Residents who had to move from Dollis Valley after their blocks of flats and maisonettes were condemned because of damp and mould will get the chance to return to new socially rented housing under the management of Barnet Homes.

The construction and opening of the Hope Corner Community Centre – above which are three floors of affordably-rented flats – marked the start of the Dollis Valley regeneration.

Centre manager Janet Nestor – see above, with Julian Desborough and James Ricks of the Boost employment and advice service – supervises a wide range of activities for the community.

As well as a café offering breakfast and lunch at affordable prices, the centre has two halls for classes and events including exercise and flower arranging classes, Pilates, and mother and baby and maths tutor classes.  

Hope Corner Community Centre in Mays Lane to launch job club offering help with employment and training.

Hope Corner Job Club, to be launched on Thursday 30 April, is already attracting considerable interest.

A dozen participants have signed up so far. For further information email hopecornerjobclub@outlook.com or visit Hope Corner Community Centre at 185 Mays Lane.

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Historic prayers and verses add a moving to tribute to the men who lost their lives in the 1471 Battle of Barnet

A service of commemoration and laying of wreaths marked the 555th anniversary of the Battle of Barnet – a service researched and devised by the recently appointed rector of Monken Hadley parish church, the Reverend Francesco Aresco.

He read from texts which would have been known by the men who fought in the battle, most of whom left no name and who were buried in unknown graves in the vicinity of Hadley Highstone.

Francesco said the service was a moment to stand at the Highstone and remember their dying before God:

“These men who woke that morning, laced their boots, felt the fog on their faces, and did not come home.”

Whatever divided the Lancastrians and Yorkists on the battlefield, the ground around them received those who died without distinction and “has held them these five hundred and fifty-five years” since the day of the battle, 14 April 1471.

Dr Susan Skedd (above, right) director of the annual Barnet Medieval Festival, led the wreath laying ceremony – seen with Dame Theresa Villiers, the former MP for Chipping Barnet.

Her wreath – made from recycled flowers by Ursula Stone of the Flower Bank community project in New Barnet – included red and white roses and carnations “perfectly arranged” to reflect the colours of the Lancastrians and Yorkists.

Other wreaths were laid by Martin Russell, Deputy Lieutenant of Greater London; Monken Hadley church; East Barnet Royal British Legion branch and club; and by Barry Swain of the Barnet Tourist Board.

Francesco, who was appointed rector of Monken Hadley parish church in February last year, said that he had carried out his own research into the Battle of Barnet and hoped that the service reflected the momentous events that day.

His order of service – see illustration above – began with a prayer which the church of 1471 would have used, in the Latin the men at the battlefield would have known:

“Gloria Patri et Filio

et Spiritui Sancto”

Many of the men who assembled for the battle did not leave. “They were men of a world ordered by oath and obligation, by the faith they owed their lord and the faith they owed their God.”

Martin Russell then read verses which were composed in England some five hundred years before the Battle of Barnet by a poet whose name is lost.

“They were made for exactly this: for standing at the edge of a world that is no more and asking where the dead have gone”:

“The halls have fallen. The rulers lie dead.

Where is the horse gone? Where the young warrior?”

Wreath laying and service of commemoration to remember the men who died in the Battle of Barnet of 1471, Special service for 555th anniversary

Ursula Stone’s Flower Bank project has been providing a wreath for the Highstone commemoration since the services were introduced in 2021.

“We are always full of admiration for the wreaths which Ursula designs for us and this year the red and white roses and carnations are so appropriate,” said Susan Skedd.

Ursula’s flower arranging classes using surplus flowers from shops and events have been widely praised and her initiative was recognised in 2023 with a Barnet Council award for outstanding service to the community.

The wreath laying ceremony was an opportunity help publicise this year’s Barnet Medieval Festival which is to be held at the Lewis of London Ice Cream Farm, in Galley Lane, Barnet, over the weekend of June 6 and 7.

New attractions this year will include mounted knights in combat and a falconry display.

To highlight this year’s 555th anniversary celebrations, Barnet Tourist Board is hoping to announce a fresh attempt to determine the site of the Battle of Barnet.

Researchers Brian Carroll and Barry Swain have been drawing up plans to enlist a team of metal detectors to conduct a fresh search.

They were looking into new theories about the route taken by Yorkist army as it left London and headed for Barnet to meet the Lancastrians.

Cromer Road Primary School in New Barnet is one of the sites which the Yorkists might have passed and then returned to London after their victory.

“Close to the school is a small wood – which was once of playing field – where there could be a sweep by a team of metal detectors,” said Brian Carroll.

“We think this part of New Barnet is very promising as we know that someone who lived in Clifford Road said their grandfather discovered bit and pieces of a musket in the garden.”   

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Final days at Builders Arms, New Barnet, as customers sign a petition to get asset of community value order to safeguard pub’s future  

A two-year struggle to keep going amid the disruption caused by ending up in the middle of a construction site has finally defeated the landlady of the aptly named Builders Arms in New Barnet.

She has reluctantly decided to hand her tenancy back to the brewers Greene King raising local concern about the future of a pub praised by the Campaign for Real Ale.

A petition has been launched by customers and friends to preserve what they say is a “much loved local institution”.

The aim of the petition organisers, Danielle Holiday and Nikki Hill, is to secure the registration of the Builders Arms as an asset of community value with Barnet Council while exploring other possible business models for the pub.

East Barnet’s councillors – Phil Cohen, Edith David and Simon Radford – have all signed the petition and are promising their support in the bid to safeguard the pub’s future by gaining ACV status.

Landlady Silva told the Barnet Society that once construction work started in 2024 on the massive housing development on the site of the former New Barnet gas works customers found it increasingly difficult to reach the pub.

Albert Road is the is the main access to the site where Fairview Homes are building eleven high-rise blocks of flats to provide 420 new homes – and a street view shows how the pub is dwarfed the scale of the redevelopment.

Initially Albert Road was blocked regularly by lorries delivering materials and construction equipment and, because of the hindrance and possible danger to customers, the Builders Arms had to cease opening at lunch times.

“Since then, access to the pub hasn’t improved and it has been a real struggle financially. It has just proved too much.”

Silva, who took on the Builders Arms eight years ago, said that she could not hang on for another year or two until the completion of the new development when all the flats might be fully occupied.

“You simply cannot run a pub when it is in the middle of a construction site. It is so off putting for customers. We can’t survive, so our tenancy ends on Sunday 12 April.

“At present there is no through road and no parking but let’s hope that Greene King can re-open one day.”

Once news broke two weeks ago that the pub was to close there has been an emotional response on the Builders Arm’s Facebook page with an appeal to regular customers to celebrate the “happy times, the music, and the unforgettable nights” they had all enjoyed.

With the pub having to be cleared of furniture, signs and fixtures, customers were invited to raise a glass and perhaps “even take home a little piece of the Builders Arms, something that might be a treasure for you.”

CAMRA has backed the Builders Arms as a real ale pub since 1970, and it has built up considerable loyalty over the

decades.

Connie East (see above) said that serving behind the bar was a real privilege because the Builders Arms had always been part of her family.

“I was brought here first as a baby 24 years ago as my parents were regulars. It has always been a real family pub.”

Dannielle Holiday, who helped organise the petition, has an even stronger family connection.

Her grandfather was a customer, so were her parents, and her own grown-up children have followed the tradition.

“The Builders Arms is a living testament to the rich local history of New Barnet,” said Danielle.

“Hundreds of local residents are signing up and joining our effort to preserve a much-cherished local pub.”

Petition launch to get asset of community value order on Builders Arms, New Barnet, becuase of pub's closure due to construction disruption during massive housing development.

When the Barnet Society first reported on the plight of the Builders Arms in 2024 the assistant manager Nina Hristova – see above – looked on in despair as work was progressing on a block of flats immediately opposite the pub.

At the time East Barnet councillor Simon Radford and Chipping Barnet MP Dan Tomlinson intervened after the pub’s staff appealed for help in curbing the mayhem and keeping the highway clear of work.

Councillor Radford said he and councillors Cohen and David had built up considerable expertise in using the asset of community value process to safeguard threatened pubs – and exercise which had proved highly successful when campaigning for the re-opening of Prince of Wales, the only pub in East Barnet village.

“As councillors we would like to pay tribute to Silva, George, Nina and the rest of the team who have run the Builders Arms for so many years, making it truly a community asset despite such outsized challenges to the business,” said councillor Radford.

“We owe them a debt of gratitude for what they have achieved with the pub, and we would also like to thank Daniella and Nikki for leading from the front in trying to save the pub.”

Councillor David said she hoped the community would show what the pub meant to them by signing the petition.

“We can all demonstrate our links with the Builders Arms through family stories and how the pub has been there for us on special occasions. The fight to save the Builders Arms goes on.”

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Music festival organisers announce more details of a packed programme of summer concerts in and around High Barnet

Young musicians will be to the fore during a summer season of concerts to be held at several High Barnet venues including the parish church of St the Baptist.

Barnet viola player Inis Oirr Asano (above), who lives in Underhill, will be appearing with the Elmore Quarter during the High Barnet Chamber Music Festival in June.

Young students will be performing during the summer festival by Jack’s Lake at Hadley Wood which starts with a prelude concert at the parish church on Saturday 11 April.

The programme will include Vivaldi Four Seasons (Ilona Domnich, soprano; Charles Mutter, violinist; and Neil Varley, accordionist).

Summer concerts beside Jack’s Lake start in May and are in aid of the Monken Hadley Common Trust (see details below).

High Barnet Chamber Music Festival opens on Saturday 6 June with a free family concert at 3pm at St Mark’s Church, Barnet Vale, with flautist Hannah Gillingham and harpist Lise Vandersmissen.

Mad Song, a contemporary ensemble (see above) returns to the parish church with a programme themed around Fire and Water at 7.30pm on Saturday 13 June.

Music by Anna Clyne sits alongside works by other contemporary composers including Brett Dean and Richard Causton.

The Elmore Quartet, which has just won the Royal Overseas League string ensemble prize – with viola player Inis Oirr Asano – will be at the parish church at 7.30pm on Saturday 20 June with music by Ravel, Britten, Shostakovich, and Geyer.

The festival closes with a performance by The Portrait Players at the Friends’ Recital Hall, at Queen Elizabeth’s School, at 3pm on Sunday 28 June with music by Strozzi, Caccini, Leonarda, an Elton.

More details: https://www.hbcmf.co.uk/

Young mjusicians to the fore during a packed programme of summer concerts around High Barnet organised by music festivals.

The prelude concert promoting this summer’s music festival at Jack’s Lake – at the parish church on Saturday 11 April (doors open 6pm) – will include Vivaldi Four Seasons (Ilona Domnich, soprano; Charles Mutter, violinist; and Neil Varley, accordionist).

The summer concerts at Jack’s Lake are May 16 or 17; June 13 or 14; July 11 or 12; August 8 or 9.

The programme will include new arrangements for violin/viola, piano, accordion and voice, Habanera from Carmen, Piazzolla (Libertango and Oblivion), Hans Zimmer (Gladiator), as well as Grieg, Bellini, Gounod and Vivaldi (two Seasons, excerpts from Gloria and Tamerlano).

Jack’s Lake Summer Music Festival: https://ilonadomnich.com/projects/hadley-woods-festival-music-on-jacks-lake/

‘Prelude to Music by Jack’s Lake’ concert at St. John the Baptist Parish Church.

Saturday 11 April, 7pm Tickets £5 -£20 https://www.ticketsource.co.uk

North London’s concert band – Da Capo Concert Band – will be holding its summer concert at the Barnet parish church on Saturday 27 June.

Da Capo Concert Band: https://www.dacapoconcertband.co.uk

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Open day at centre for homeless in Barnet – a chance to support a fashion show of clothes which they have designed and produced

Homeless Action in Barnet – a leading charity assisting rough sleepers across the borough – is organising an open day at its headquarters in Woodhouse Road, North Finchley, where a highlight will be a fashion show of outfits created and modelled by some of those who are being supported.

HAB, as it is known, provides over 9,000 hot meals at year at its day centre and organises a night shelter each evening at one or other of the 30 or so churches and synagogues which make space available. 

All the clothes for the fashion show have been designed and made from recycled material and second-hand clothing and the aim of this initiative, backed by volunteers, is to help build confidence among people facing homelessness and insecurity.

Inspiration for the fashion show – billed as “Off The Street” on Sunday 17 May from 12 noon to 3pm – came from homeless clients at the centre, including a dress designer and an architect, who has drawn up plans for creating a catwalk through the day centre and out into the garden.

Already clothes for the show are being lined up in a storeroom – and admired for their creativity by night shelter co-ordinator Marcin Nocek and support officer Kate Jack (see above).

“Fitting out rough sleepers with a new set of clothes and shoes is one of the ways we help homeless people regain their self-confidence,” said Marcin.

“We try to offer them something suitable from our storeroom of donated clothing and sometimes it can be fun trying something on. 

“The idea of holding a fashion show started as a joke, but one of the clients is a dress designer, another a seamstress and before we knew it, they were hard at work.

“After hours and hours at a sewing machine, they have already produced about 40 plus outfits, and they will all be revealed on the catwalk at the open day in May.”

Homeless architect Julian Meguenni (above) was delighted to have the chance to help stage the fashion show and do what he could do help other homeless clients at the centre show off the clothes which have been created.

Support workers and volunteers have all been amazed by the enthusiasm which has been generated by the prospect of organising and holding a fashion show.

“We know all too well that people who have been excluded and forgotten, and who have become homeless, need to rebuild their self-confidence.”

Support officer Kate Jack (above) says kitting people out with replacement clothes is one of their priorities and the charity relies on donations of clothing and shoes.

“We are continually short of clothing and delighted to accept donations.

“We are always in need of jeans, track suit bottoms, T-shirts, sweatshirts, winter coats, and clean underwear such as boxer shorts.

“Footwear is another item in constant demand, including a trainers, shoes and socks.”

HAB was established in 1997, having started out in North Finchley as a soup kitchen for the homeless and quickly expanded after Barnet Council leased the charity a community building in Woodhouse Road.

A constant stream of people – up to 250 a week – seek help at the day centre which offers support and comfort from 9am to 12.30pm on Monday to Friday.

The centre has its own shower block, a cafeteria offering breakfast or lunch, and a laundrette for washing clothes.

Support officer Kareema Osbourne (above) has been at the centre for two years.

“It is very fulfilling having the chance to help people turn around their lives”

In the last 12 months, HAB has held well over 4,000 support sessions for homeless people, building up trust and helping them address the underlying barriers they face.

A night shelter is provided for up to 15 people, seven days a week, during the winter months, from November to the end of April.

Last year over 5,000 rough sleepers spent the night in safety at a one of the participating churches or synagogues where an army of 360 volunteers provide food and support.

HAB also has two hostels for homeless people – offering over 50 places – and clients can stay there until they can arrange permanent accommodation. Last year 196 were rehoused and 49 so far this year.

Ben Tovey, HAB’s chief executive, said that demand for support from rough sleepers was higher than ever this year.

“Housing shortages, unaffordable rents and the overall economic situation aren’t helping but another reason why we are getting more showing up is because of the government policy to close asylum hotels.

“So, this is becoming a pressure point for charities helping the homeless.

“It is particularly hard for the under 35s as the rents being charged are beyond their housing allowances and benefits, and are based on a shared housing rate, which again is a big factor in pushing up the demand for support.”

Homeless in Action in Barnet to hold open day at is North Finchley day centre and highlight is fashion show of clothes made by those seeking support

The fashion show, “Off The Street” on Sunday 17 May, in aid HAB, will be a community event with local artisan stalls, a musical performance, a raffle and a chance for guests to mingle with clients and volunteers.

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A vintage Routemaster climbs Barnet Hill to terminate at the parish church – a moment to be celebrated by bus enthusiasts 

A special 263 Sunday service to Barnet Church – in support of Comic Relief – provided bus passengers a chance to step back in time and hop on board an iconic Routemaster.

Vintage buses plied the route from East Finchley to Barnet when North London Transport Events organised one of its popular charity services held three times a year.

Instead of paying a fare, passengers were asked instead to think of making a donation collected by the bus conductor.

Routemasters, which were built between 1954 and 1968 by AEC Park Royal Vehicles, were finally withdrawn from regular service in December 2005.

Watching a vintage 263 Routemaster climb Barnet Hill, turn at the church and then head back to East Finchley was an unusual sight (currently the 263 terminates at Barnet Hospital) — and was captured on camera by Stephen Bigley.

He said when Routemasters take to the road in support of fund-raising events, the organisers are always rewarded by seeing how local people are delighted to have a chance to travel on one of these classic buses

The ease with which passengers on a Routemaster can hop on and off was a moment to celebrated by bus enthusiast Helen Lewis who describes herself at Londonroutemistress (see above).

“Riding a Routemaster is such a contrast to today’s electric buses with their aircon and phone charging ports and a bell at every seat,” said Helen.

“There is no way of alerting the driver in advance that you wanted to get off if you were upstairs on the top deck, but let’s not forget how easy it was in those days to hop on and off.”

Helen has set herself a personal mission to travel every bus route run by London Transport. She researches a new route every week and then sets off.

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Packed programme of summer concerts announced by music festival organisers for Barnet orchestras and bands 

Summer concerts at Jack's Lake, Hadley Common, again a highlight for a packed programme of performances by Barnet orchestras and bands

Barnet’s music lovers are in for a feast of summer events with organisers announcing programmes for concerts right through to August including an annual highlight of four evening performances in the woods beside Jack’s Lake at Monken Hadley Common.

Since they were launched six years ago, there has been ever growing support for these open-air musical evenings which are held in a woodland glade and are organised by New Barnet opera singer Ilona Domnich.

As a prelude to the summer programme, there is a fund-raising concert for the Monken Hadley Common Trust at the Barnet parish church of St John the Baptist on Saturday 11 April (doors open 6pm)

The programme will include Vivaldi Four Seasons (Ilona Domnich, soprano; Charles Mutter, violinist; and Neil Varley, accordionist).

The summer concerts at Jack’s Lake are May 16 or 17; June 13 or 14; July 11 or 12; August 8 or 9.

High Barnet Chamber Music Festival is about to announce dates and venues for this summer’s four concerts, which will be held from June 6 to 28, and will include a family concert backed by Arts Council England.

This will be the chamber festival’s sixth season which has been expanded to include master classes and performances in primary and secondary schools.

North London’s concert band – Da Capo Concert Band – will be holding its summer concert at the Barnet parish church on Saturday 27 June.

For more information:

Jack’s Lake Summer Music Festival: https://ilonadomnich.com/projects/hadley-woods-festival-music-on-jacks-lake/

‘Prelude to Music by Jack’s Lake’ concert at St. John the Baptist Parish Church.

Saturday 11 April 11, 7pm Tickets £5 -£20 https://www.ticketsource.co.uk

High Barnet Chamber Music Festival: https://www.hbcmf.co.uk/

Da Capo Concert Band: https://www.dacapoconcertband.co.uk

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Bags of litter piled up after clean-up organised by Barnet Residents Association – and the town’s MP is urging more community action

Litters pickers from Barnet Residents Association fanned out across the town in one of the association’s regular clean ups – the kind of initiative which the Chipping Barnet MP Dan Tomlinson hopes will be encouraged by his new community action network.

Association co-chair Ken Rowland and committee member Emma Morgan – see above – cleared up litter in Bruce Road which backs on to the Waitrose car park and often gets overlooked in street cleaning.

However, they left Bruce Road feeling rather disappointed because they were not equipped to tackle a heap of builder’s rubbish which had been left by a recent fly-tipper.

Committee member Anna Watkins was on hand at the association’s stall in The Spires shopping centre ready to hand volunteers litter pickers and rubbish bags which had been supplied by Barnet Council.

The clean up was organised in partnership with the Chipping Barnet Town Team and was considered a great success – a heap of around 40 rubbish bags was left nearby at Chipping Barnet Library in Stapylton Road ready for collection by the council’s refuse service.

Among the volunteers were staff members from McDonald’s fast-food restaurant who also stage their own litter pick sessions.

Franchisee Hubs Backshi (above, second from left) said McDonald’s team members regularly did a litter sweep around the restaurant in the Barnet High Street and were keen to help whenever street clean-ups were organised.

Barnet Residents Association reports another successful litter picking clean up as Chipping Barnet MP Dan Tomlinson backs more community action

Litter picking was one of the targets discussed at a meeting organised by the Chipping Barnet MP Dan Tomlinson which went on to establish a community action network.

Over 200 people attended a discussion and workshop where an agenda was established for action next year.

Long-term projects include supporting East Barnet Festival and Community Energy Barnet.

Mr Tomlinson said he hoped the network could run a monthly community cation day.

“The focus of the network is making tangible differences to the local area through local action, whether that’s litter picking or organising a community festival,” said Mr Tomlinson.   

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Barnet’s rich history and literary connections brought to life in a new play which explores Charles Dickens’ associations with the town

Imagining how the great Victorian novelist Charles Dickens might have spent an evening in the bar at the Red Lion public house in Barnet is the highlight of a new production at The Bull Theatre.

Dickens was said to have gained inspiration for his writing from his visits to North London so the challenge for Barnet playwrights Sarah Munford and Claire Fisher was to visualise what happened when the famous author stayed overnight in the town.

Rehearsals are well under way for Between the Lines: Dickens Comes to Barnet which the Blue Door Theatre Company is to present at The Bull Theatre, High Street. Barnet, for three nights in late April.

Dickens is forced to spend the night at the Red Lion because the road back to London is snowed up and that creates the occasion for some fascinating interaction with an array of the town’s colourful characters – some of whom have a tale to tell.

Peggy, the Red Lion’s landlady played by Naomi Richards (above), has a back history worthy of a Dickens novel and her revelations about her previous connections with the author, played by Chris Browning, are a salutary reminder of his own chequered past.

Before taking on the Red Lion, Peggy was a prostitute, one of many who was said to have been taken off the streets of London with Dickens’ help, and for her guest, by now an old man walking with a stick, his night in Barnet becomes a trip down memory lane. 

The life and times of Dickens’ fellow travellers play out against a background of some of Barnet’s low life including the Barnet Belles, a group of prostitutes who are based across the road at the Bull public house.

Sarah Munford (right) said she hoped her play would encourage the audience to form their own view about Dickens and whether perhaps he had been misogynistic towards women.

“Perhaps questions should be asked about the way Dickens treated his wife, how he tried to get her committed to an asylum after giving birth to ten children, and about his long-term affair with Nelly Ternan.”

Claire Fisher (left) who collaborated with Sarah, said she had enjoyed writing the crowd scenes and she has her own role in the play as nurse Sally Swaddle, the local midwife.

The history of Barnet offers an array of script lines – including a meeting of the guardians at Barnet Workhouse, which was on the site of Barnet House in Wellhouse Lane.

A tense scene develops when a blacksmith’s widow from Finchley and her son face some tough questions about their future.

Another reminder of an earlier visit to Barnet when Dickens was said to have gained inspiration from the steps outside the former Victoria Bakery – steps which become the location in Oliver Twist where Oliver met the Artful Dodger.

That flashback is in the hands of Abel Able (Ross Wilson) who takes on the role of an Artful Dodger lookalike who again captures Dickens’ attention.

Once again props for the production are in the capable hands of sculptor and artist Cos Gerolemou, who has worked behind the scenes on so many of the company’s productions.

He came up with the idea of a sucking pig which has pride of place on the mantlepiece above the fire in the bar of the Red Lion.

For artistic director Siobhan Dunne (above left) – concentrating with Sarah Munford at an evening rehearsal – an annual challenge for the Blue Door Theatre Company is present an original play with a theme based around the history of Barnet and its literary connections.

Her success directing the company speaks for itself: last year’s production, Mary Livingstone, I Presume, based on events surrounding the year Dr David Livingstone lived on Hadley Green, was a sell-out.

Equally popular were original productions on the 1471 Battle of Barnet and the history of once celebrated Barnet Fair.

Barnet's Blue Door Theatre Company explores Charles Dickens' literary associations with Barnet in new production at The Bull Theatre

Between the Lines: Dickens Comes to Barnet features original live songs by composer Nick Godwin of The Silencerz.

There will be four productions, Thursday 23 April and Friday 24 April at 7.30pm; Saturday 25 April at 2pm and 7.30pm

Tickets £15 + booking fee via www.thebulltheare.com

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Unauthorised tree felling in protected woodland at Arkley has angered residents who fear a covert attempt to secure residential development

Arkley residents who have been campaigning for several years to safeguard woodland in Rowley Lane were shocked to see protected trees being felled across a one-acre plot – and their anger increased still further when Barnet Council apparently failed to take immediate action to stop the clearance.

They say it took the council’s tree protection team over 24 hours to intervene and by then most of the trees had already been cut down. Only a few that had been badly hacked about were still standing.

The plot where the clearance has taken place is part of a ten-acre woodland which is protected by a special nature conservation order designed to protect it from any land use change which might damage a protected habitat or species.

The residents fear that if developers get their way the woodland will be turned into sites for new houses.

Once this Green Belt land has been cleared of trees, the concern in the surrounding community, is that Barnet Council might be more likely to grant planning permission, despite approval having been refused in the past.  

When an adjoining one-acre plot was cleared in 2023 without permission the residents succeeded in obtaining a tree preservation order covering the whole site.

The wording of the nature conservation order was also strengthened to reflect the character of the land as “wooded with open glades of grass or scrub”.

The woodland, which is at the rear of Rowley Lodge, was sold off by a previous owner of the house and was subdivided into ten separate one-acre plots which were sold for a combined total of £1.3 million.

What has so angered the residents is that they say nothing happened on the day they complained to the council (18.2.2026) and when they notified the council again the following morning (19.2.2026) the protection team did not arrive until the afternoon.

“Within that 24-hour period the trees had been cut down. It is devastating. We now have Arkley’s very own Sycamore Gap; a woodland left with a gaping hole. It is a tragedy,” said one distraught resident.

Workmen who were challenged by the residents said the one-acre which was being cleared was being subdivided into three plots for houses.

“We have been assured planning permission will not be granted because it is Green Belt but the boarded off entrance to the woodland already has an agents’ sign indicating that plots are for sale.

When the ten acres were first sold off, five of the individual acres were purchased by householders whose properties backed on to the land and who were determined that it should be preserved as a woodland.

Two of the five acres in the hands of individual plot holders have now been cleared without permission and residents fear that there might be an attempt to prepare the other three acres for residential development.

Residents have appealed to Barnet councillor Emma Whysall to intervene of their behalf.  

(Photos supplied by residents)

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“Love them or lose them” is the blunt message from the organisers of Barnet’s summer round of shows, fetes and festivals

Organisers of a busy programme of summer shows and festivals in and around High Barnet hope there will be maximum support this year because today’s tough times are forcing the postponement and even cancellation of some popular events.

Out in front once again is Barnet Classic Car Club’s annual show which is to be held on Sunday 17 May on the top floor of The Spires car park — see above last year’s display of Jaguar cars.

Four concerts – including a family concert – will be held between June 6-28 by the High Barnet Chamber Music Festival which is backed this year by Arts Council England.

Another highlight of the summer calendar will be the two-day Barnet Medieval Festival over the weekend of June 6-7, back for a second year at its new site in Galley Lane.

Fields around Fold Farm (Lewis of London Ice Cream) provided an ideal location last summer with record crowds for the re-enactments of the Battles of Barnet and St Albans and masses of space for a campsite, medieval traders and enthusiasts.

Publicity material is already out for the annual Arkley Village Fayre on Saturday 23 May and its highly popular all comers dog show – see above, last year’s winners.

Other events planned include Queen Elizabeth’s School’s founders’ day fete on Saturday 20 June; Jazz and More on Hadley Green on Sunday 5 July (12pm to 6pm); and Hadley Wood Association’s fireworks night on Sunday 1 November.

Financial challenges, a shortage of helpers, complex safety regulations and higher Barnet Council charges are all adding to the pressures facing the volunteer committees which work so hard behind the scenes.

Their plea to the residents of Barnet and further afield is to put dates in the diary and to help ensure the continued success of what promises to be an entertaining and engaging programme of events.

“Love them or lose them” is the blunt message.

Summer programme of shows, festivals and fetes in and around High Barnet and an extra strong plea this year for strong public support

Even the town’s biggest annual celebration, Barnet Christmas Fayre, is facing an unprecedented financial challenge.

For the first time it seems the organisers might have to raise the funds to meet the cost of road and bus-route diversions which are needed to keep the High Street clear of traffic.

If Barnet Council is unable to absorb the estimated cost of around £4,000, the fayre committee might have to launch an appeal and look for additional sponsors.

One popular event which has had to be cancelled this year is the Barnet Summer Soulstice soul music festival which has been held for the last 18 years at the Old Elizabethans playing fields in May Lane.

But the Spring into Soul Ball – also in aid of Cherry Lodge Cancer Care – is being held on Saturday 21 March at the Double Tree Hilton Hotel in Borehamwood.

Another of this year’s casualties is the East Barnet Festival which is planning on returning in 2027. Organisers have issued a plea for support for next year’s event which they say will help “keep the spirit of East Barnet alive”.

After missing out last year, Potters Bar Carnival is due to return on Sunday 14 June with live performances from show bands and dance troupes. Community support is vital to the carnival’s success.

East Finchley Festival is booked in for Sunday 21 June but again the organisers have issued a plea for support because of the mounting costs and challenges facing self-funded events.

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Hot pursuit of suspect car ends with a spectacular crash bringing traffic to a halt in Barnet High Street

Traffic in Barnet High Street was at a standstill after a dramatic late morning crash when a car being followed by police cars struck the side of a No 34 bus waiting in the lay-by next to the Red Lion public house.

The crash happened opposite Barnet police station and the suspect car ended up being corralled by seven police cars.

Eyewitnesses described the impact when the car careered into the bus hitting it just below the driver’s cab.

The bus driver and a suspect – who was immediately handcuffed by police officers – were both shaken up by the crash and taken to hospital.

“There was a tremendous bang,” said the driver in the next No 34 waiting in the lay-by reserved for buses on the Barnet Church to Walthamstow Central route.

“Suddenly the whole place was surrounded by police cars. It must have been some sort of hot pursuit and a suspect was dragged out from the crashed car.

“No wonder the bus driver needed to go to hospital. The car that hit his bus was a write off. The driver wouldn’t have known what was happening.”

Students from Barnet College lined up to watch the action.

“For a moment it looked like a scene being filmed for tv…there were so many police cars surrounding the crashed car,” said one of the eyewitnesses.

Once the shaken-up suspect was safely in handcuffs, officers sat him down on the bench in front of High Barnet Police Station before escorting him across the road to a waiting ambulance.

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New theories over elusive site of the Battle of Barnet are to be tested with possible metal detecting investigations and drone surveys

Fresh attempt possible with metal detecting and drone surveys to find elusive site of Battle of Barnet

Plans are being finalised for a fresh attempt to determine the site of the 1471 Battle of Barnet which has remained unidentified despite previous searches and an extensive archaeological excavation.

A team of metal detectors has already been enlisted, and an experienced drone pilot will carry out aerial investigations to look out for signs of ancient soil disturbance.

Barnet school pupils will be encouraged to take part in a project which the organisers hope will reveal more about the location – and potential burial grounds – after what was one of the most significant battles of the Wars of the Roses.

Preparations for the investigation are being co-ordinated by Brian Carroll (above, left) who is author of The Search for the Battlefield, and fellow researcher Barry Swain, who were photographed at Hadley Highstone which commemorates the battle.

They hope to announce more details about the areas they intend to search in the lead up to the 555th anniversary of the battle on Tuesday 14 April.

 After the failure over a decade or more to locate the site, Brian and Barry have spent countless hours examining the many historical accounts of the battle and have developed new theories about the route taken by the Yorkist army as it left London and headed for Barnet to meet the Lancastrians.

Schools to be approached to see if their pupils would like to take an interest and perhaps participate in the project are in New Barnet close to where the Yorkists might have passed and then returned to London after their victory.

They include the Jewish Community Secondary School, Livingstone Primary School and Cromer Road Primary School. 

Metal detecting and drone surveys with ground penetrating radar might be possible on land around the schools including perhaps playgrounds and playing fields.

“What we are hoping to do is look at areas around Barnet which have not been thoroughly probed in the past,” said Brian.

“We think previous searches, such as the most recent archaeological excavation around Kitts End Lane, were probably misplaced.

“If, as seems likely, the Lancastrians – who had arrived first – were well entrenched on the high plateau around Monken Hadley then, if we are right, the Yorkists approaching from London might well have approached from the ground below King George’s Fields.”

Brian and Barry are the founder members of the Barnet Tourist Board, which they established to help promote Barnet – and its connections to the Wars of the Roses – through the publication of booklets and videos.

“If we could establish the actual site of the battle – and answer a centuries old mystery – then Barnet would change overnight attracting tourists not only from this country but also from all over the world,” said Barry.

“Over the years we have heard so many reports of people finding items which might have been linked to the battle such as swords, cannon balls and shot.

“Perhaps it is not surprising that so many artefacts have been discovered when you think that this was a major battle fought by up to 30,000 men and that 2,000 to 3,000 were killed, or perhaps many more.

“We know there is so much more to be found and we hope our project will keep the important history of Barnet alive, so we hope as many people as possible will join us in a once in a lifetime adventure to find the site of this elusive battlefield.”

The Barnet Tourist Board has produced a video “In Search of the Battlefield” in support of its attempt to launch a new investigation to find precisely where the battle took place and those who were killed might have been buried:

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A great spotted woodpecker – and a sparrow hawk above – were just two of the species recorded during a Barnet Big Garden Bird Watch.

A sparrow hawk seen hovering and alighting in the trees disrupted the start of the Big Garden Bird Watch which was held at the Barnet Environment Centre in Byng Road.

Once it had flown off and they no longer felt threatened by a bird of prey, smaller birds returned to the centre’s bird table.

At the end of the hour allocated for the watch, a total of 13 different species had been recorded.

Ian Sharp – above, far left – group leader of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds for Potters Bar and Barnet – said he was impressed by the centre’s nature reserve.

It was his first visit to the Byng Road centre to assist with a Big Garden Bird Watch, and he was delighted with the range of birds they had seen and identified.

To have seen a sparrow hawk – and the fear it created among smaller birds – was always a special moment and another treat had been to see a great spotted woodpecker.

Other birds seen during the watch included three great tits, four fieldfares, a redwing, a gold finch, and a blackbird, plus two of the inevitable parakeets.

Ian said that so far this winter he had not detected signs of the invasion of redwings, fieldfares and siskins from as far afield as Scandinavia which had been reported in some parts of the country due to hard winter weather in Europe.

RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch at Barnet Environment Centre records 13 different species including a great spotted woodpecker sparrow hawk

However, just after finishing the one hour allocated for the birdwatch, there was great excitement when a small flock of 11 fieldfares was seen flying into the nature reserve.

What Ian said he had found so encouraging was the environment centre’s success in attracting a younger generation of bird watchers and its extensive programme of visits by pupils from schools around Barnet.

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Barnet’s very own professor of Punch and Judy hoping to be back inside his booth this summer ready for another show entertaining local children

A childhood dream about Punch and Judy led on to a lifetime’s interest in glove puppets which earned the accolade of professor for Barnet’s celebrated Punch and Judy puppeteer Geoff Barrett.

He can look back on fifty years’ entertaining countless generations of local children.

Geoff, whose background was in teaching ceramics, has always made his own puppets and in recent years he has crafted their heads from rubber, finding it a lighter material to work with when giving a show.

His Punch and Judy booth has been a regular sight at fetes, festivals and school events around High Barnet, East Barnet, Potters Bar and further afield.

Appearances at Barnet Christmas Fayre and summer parties on the green outside Barnet Parish Church or in the garden at Barnet Museum have regularly attracted appreciative audiences.

Recent ill health has forced Geoff, who is 77, to take it easy but he gave a performance at last year’s summer party for the residents of Byng Road, and he has every intention of setting up his booth for this summer’s get together and entertaining his neighbours and their children once again. 

Perhaps the greatest change since Geoff started giving performances in the mid- 1970s has been a softening in the traditional slapstick violence between Punch and his wife Judy and their baby.

Punch and Judy shows have their roots in the 17th century Italian commedia dell’arte and the British tradition has always been considered naughtier, bawdier and funnier than their continental cousins, but the puppeteers recognise that times have changed.

“Gone are the days when Punch can beat his wife to death or throw the baby out of the window,” says Geoff.

“Slapstick is a quick and easy way for Punch to get rid of characters. A quick swipe, and they are gone, but we recognise that violence against women and the mistreatment of children is no longer a cause for amusement, whereas in the past it used to be.

“Today you cannot be cruel. So now Punch can be seen arguing with Judy, he might let the baby run away, and as Punch gets cross, off she goes to get a policeman.

“There might be a bit of fighting here and there with the policeman, and of course, once it appears, the crocodile can happily snap away with his jaws at all and sundry.

“When the clown leaves a string of sausages and Punch falls asleep, the crocodile can steal the sausages and Punch can get his stick out to give the crocodile a whack, so there is still no end of fun to be had but we Punch and Judy professors do our best to avoid frightening children or causing alarm.”

Geoff is a member of the Punch and Judy Fellowship, and puppeteers awarded themselves the title of professor as a way of upstaging other showmen such as the scientists of the 18th and 19th centuries who did magic shows and liked to call themselves doctors.

Punch Day is celebrated by the fellowship on the second Sunday in May with many professors doing numerous shows outside St Paul’s Church in Covent Garden where Samuel Pepys recorded the first performance of Pulcinella in 1662 – an annual event at which Geoff used to be a regular performer.

He has early memories of dreaming as a child about playing in a local park where there was a Punch and Judy booth, but for some reason the performance never started.

His childhood memories were still there when he studied ceramics at Cardiff College of Art.

He wanted to make figures which moved but found clay was not ideal and it was not until his wife Ruth – see above – joined a glove puppet class in Bristol that his interest was rekindled.

The couple moved to London in 1974 when Geoff was appointed a lecturer at Hendon College with a brief to set up a ceramics studio for teaching students.

“Ruth started attending a marionette class in London and I was really taken by them and started making some, but marionettes are loose-limbed figures operated with strings, and they didn’t really appeal to me.”

At the time Ruth was a youth worker, running summer schools for children at the Oakmere Centre in Potters Bar.

“She engaged a Punch and Judy performer and that was when I realised the superiority of hand puppets, which unlike marionettes can move quickly, handle objects or even hit other puppets with a slapstick.

“After all, Punch – or Pulcinella to give him his original name – was a marionette to begin with before becoming a hand puppet.”

Geoff started making puppets carved from wood and staged his first show at Goldbeaters School in Burnt Oak in around 1975.  The headmaster told him it went down well with the children and from then on Geoff was hooked on the world of Punch and Judy.

Over the years he has made various kinds of puppet heads. He found traditional wooden heads were too heavy; he tried papier mache and fibre glass but settled on latex which he finds the lightest and most flexible and allowed him to model in his preferred material clay from which he could make a mould to cast the latex.

Appearances came thick and fast: he remembers that on the day of Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee in 1977 that he did four shows in Potters Bar. “Unfortunately, it rained so much that the decorated cloth fronting my booth shrank by about eight inches and people could see my shoes and ankles, which wasn’t what I had intended.”

In the decades which followed he reckons he must have entertained many children at parties, fetes and schools. Geoff has also given talks on the history of Punch and Judy.

One of the hardest tasks was finding the right way of holding inside his mouth the contrivance known as a swazzle through which a puppeteer can produce Punch’s distinctive squawking voice.

As Punch dispatches each of his foes in turn he squeaks his famous catchphrase, “That’s the way to do it!” from which the term “pleased as Punch is derived”.

Barnet's professor of Punch and Judy Geoff Barrett hopes to back inside his both entertaining children once again this summer

No doubt there are countless local children who can’t wait for Professor Geoff Barrett to get back inside his Punch and Judy booth, to hear his raucous voice and to get ready to deliver the audience’s familiar shout, “He’s behind you!” to warn other characters of what’s afoot as the show proceeds.

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A visit to Barnet Environment Centre gives Mayor of Barnet an opportunity to observe nature reserve’s wide range of birdlife  

With binoculars at the ready the Mayor of Barnet Councillor Danny Rich paid his first ever visit to the Barnet Environment Centre in Byng Road, congratulating volunteers for establishing a “fantastic educational resource” for local children.

Between February and the end of the coming summer term, 2,000 pupils from across the borough are due to attend classes at the centre – and there is a waiting list of schools keen to take part.

In the first ten minutes of his walk around the nature reserve Councillor Rich – above left with Bernard Johnson, vice chair of the Friends of Barnet Environment Centre – picked out in the surrounding trees, four goldfinches, a blue tit, a great tit and a crow flying overhead.  

He was amazed by the richness of the birdlife at the centre and given his membership of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said could not resist the opportunity to get his eye in.

His visit was to help celebrate the conclusion of events celebrating the 50th anniversary of the environment centre – and a chance to tour its facilities including the classroom where the centre’s education manager Robyn Stern introduces children to what they can see and find out in the reserve.

Councillor Rich acknowledged that after living in the borough for the last 20 years, he was thrilled at last to have a chance to visit a centre which did so much to alert children to the importance of nature.

“Although here in Barnet we live in a relatively green area, children do need to come here to learn about the environment.

“I’m a birdwatcher myself, so it was a real privilege to see so many birds in such a short time, and I want to book my next visit straightaway.”

He promised to try to keep free the first Sunday in May when the centre is holding its annual early morning gathering to hear the dawn chorus – an event which was led last year by Bob Husband of the RSPB when 33 different species were identified or observed.

On his tour of the centre, Councillor Rich was shown tree stumps left purposely in the undergrowth to encourage the growth of fungi. Last spring the stumps were covered in yellow fungus which fascinated the children.

Mayor of Barnet Councillor Danny Rich pays his firist visit to Barnet Environment Centre and praises their inspirational work with children and wide range of birdlife in nature reserve.

Another stop on the tour was one of the newly refurbished dipping ponds – where children can take samples and observe aquatic life – above from left to right, the Mayoress of Barnet, Laura Lassman, the Mayor of Barnet, Bernard Johnson and trustee Liz Pearson.

 Councillor Rich thanked the volunteers – up to 20 of whom meet each Monday – for all their work maintaining the reserve and for helping with the school visits which take place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Voluntary work was one of the features of life in Barnet. “It is the volunteering which adds so much to the richness of life in the borough and Barnet is a special place because the council does all it can to work in conjunction with our voluntary groups and organisations.”

Looking ahead to projects planned at the centre in the coming months, Bernard Johnson said the centre hoped to redevelop the former Marc Bolan garden into a community orchard.

The centre was even planning to build a boathouse to house a boat that could be used on the Hadley and Willow ponds to help control the growth of bullrushes and other vegetation.

Another innovation was a planned visit by year nine pupils from Queen Elizabeth’s Boys’ School who were studying nature poems and who were looking for ideas for their work.  

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Top spot for drivers and vehicles from Barnet Classic Car Club in London’s New Year’s Day Parade  

Four entries from Barnet Classic Car Club had a prime spot in London’s New Year’s Day parade – gaining praise in the live television coverage on Sky News for adding some royal glamour to the event.

A look-alike King and Queen in the front of Derrick Haggerty’s 1955 Ford Popular were a surprise attraction.

Sky’s commentary team joined in the fun, complimenting the club for parading a wonderful collection of classic and vintage cars:

“We didn’t know the King was going to be here…and the Queen as well…no one told us. But we much appreciate your presence your majesties.”

Derek’s Ford Popular has been in his family since it was purchased in 1973 as a non-runner for £50 – and after £5 and a couple of new king pins it was back on the road.

This was the 40th anniversary of London’s New Year’s Day Parade and despite the freezing weather it was watched by crowds of well over 700,000.

More than 8,000 performers took part in the spectacular procession from Piccadilly to Whitehall treating revellers to marching bands, acrobats and eye-catching floats.

Dancers twirled away in their daffodil costumes and a cavalcade of open-top Mokes made their way through the West End.

Barnet Classic Car Club, representing the Borough of Barnet, was invited to participate by the Mayor of Barnet, Councillor Danny Rich – see above with club member Howard Pryor and Howard’s pet dog Bertie.

Councillor Tony Vourou – above with a Pearly Queen – co-ordinated the club’s entry to the parade.

The club’s four entries – which had 34th place in the parade – were a 1974 Rover P6 owned and driven by club member Peter Snow; a 1955 Ford Popular owned and driven by Derrick Haggerty; a 1952 Morris Minor Convertible owned and driven by club member Paul Reed; and a 1939 Morris Commercial driven by club member Howard Pryor.

Originally built as a utility fire engine, the Morris Commercial was converted in 1947 to an ambulance and was kindly loaned by the Whitewebbs Museum of Transport in Whitewebbs Lane, Enfield.

Entries from Barnet Classic Car Club have a prime spot in London's spectacular New Year's Day Parade and get a special mention of Sky TV

Before setting off on the parade club members lined up for a photograph – from left to right, Derrick Haggerty, Peter Snow, James Beeton, Howard Pryor and Paul Reed.

The club was delighted to have been invited to take part in the parade which drew record crowds approaching 700,000 or more, much more than the 500,000 that had been anticipated.

Sky News had agreed a last-minute deal with the parade and broadcast it in its entirety linking up with 1,100 tv stations around the world and a potential global audience including up to 27 million in the USA.

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Education charity looking for another vacant retail unit after sudden closure of High Barnet’s free book shop

High Barnet’s popular and well supported free bookshop has had to close unexpectedly because a new tenant is ready to move into their premises at The Spires shopping centre.

Volunteers who immediately had to remove for storage their stock of donated books are hoping that another vacant unit might be offered for their use.

“Since we first opened a shop in The Spires last year there has always been lots of interest.

“Local people have been so generous in donating unwanted books,” said volunteer Pippa Priestley seen above with helper, Mark Tagholm.  

Global Educational Trust, which operates free books shops across the country, takes advantage of the generosity of landlords who let them move into empty retail outlets on a temporary basis.

Up to three unwanted books can be taken on any one visit and the stock is replenished with donated books which might otherwise have been pulped or gone to landfill.

Trust administrator Rohail Suleman, above right, said they were so grateful when shopping centres were prepared to make available vacant outlets which could re-purposed on a temporary basis for a free book shop.

“We quite understand the pressure on landlords so we know we might have to move out at very short notice.

“We are hoping that we might be offered another vacant unit in The Spires or perhaps nearby and we will re-open the shop as soon as possible.”

The trust opened its first shop in The Spires in May last year and has built up a team of around 20 volunteers who take it in turns to help.

After a short closure it moved for a brief time to what is now Café Du Nord and then in August it was relocated again and re-opened in a unit vacated by EE Phones, a prime outlet opposite Waitrose supermarket which is now about to become a cake shop.

Global Education Trust looking for vacant retail unit for High Barnet's free book shop after unexpected closure of its space at The Spires shopping centre.

Volunteers responded to an emergency call to assist in packing up once again – see above, from left to right, Rick Osman and Eduardo Caprario.

Chipping Barnet MP Dan Tomlinson – who has been campaigning to boost Barnet High Street – has assured the free book shop’s volunteers that he would be ready to assist in finding another vacant unit either in The Spires or close by in the town centre.

“Hopefully Dan can help the trust get into another empty shop so we can re-open as soon as possible,” said Pippa Priestley.

“We have been really pleased with the response we have had in recent months, especially in donations of unwanted books, and we know how much the chance to browse and perhaps find a book is appreciated, especially by children.”

Currently the trust has 15 free book shops up and running across the country.

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Arkley’s two leading football teams met up for a local derby which put the village on the map and revived memories of past encounters  

Arkley has a new claim to fame – its top two football clubs are now in the same division and when they play each other their home matches are thought to be the closest local derby among leading English football leagues.

Until this season Liverpool and Everton held that honour because of what previously was the close proximity of their stadiums.

Local football fans believe that Arkley village may now have become the setting for perhaps the hottest local derby in the top eight tiers of English football.

The two clubs are based less than a mile apart.

Hadley FC’s stadium and clubhouse is in Brickfield Lane, next to Arkley village hall, and London Lions FC are a ten-minute walk away in Rowley Lane.

London Lions won promotion this season to the Southern League Division One Central and their first away fixture to Hadley ended in a 2-1 victory after they snatched the winning goal a minute from the end.

Hadley, hit recently by a bad run of injuries, had been hoping for a win and were in high spirits during the warmup – see above, from left to right, Hermes Gbio, Hedley Ogbebor, Jordan Edwards and Hadley goalkeeper coach Tim Teixeira.

London Lions under their skipper for the day Adam Lipman – see above with long-time Lions supporter Paul Woolfson – were disappointed when Hadley were deservedly 1-0 up at the end of the first half after striker Lenny Asamoah had made no mistake from close range.

Zan Appleson-Fidler equalised for the Lions in the 60th minute and a minute from time Daniel Creese clinched the match for the visitors from six yards.

Veteran London Lions fan Neville Zeller (87) – above right with Darren Zeller – is no stranger to the local football scene. He has been a supporter of the club since he was 15.

The last time the two teams met was in 2014 when Hadley ran out 4-0 winners in a Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division match.

A decade ago, the two clubs were both ground sharing – Hadley at Potters Bar Town and London Lions at Hemel Hempstead Town but after ground improvements both returned to Barnet.

Hadley FC president Tristan Smith – above – is hoping for a better result when the two teams meet again at the London Lions’ stadium in Rowley Lane on 28 March.

Arkley became the permanent home of Hadley FC – which was established in 1882 and is the oldest football club playing in Barnet – after the club secured a long-term lease on the sports ground at Brickfield Lane in 2016 – where the regular chant is now “Come on You Bricks.”

Since 2016 the club has spent £1.3 million in improvements to its ground and facilities, including the installation of an all-weather training pitch.

The latest addition are new changing rooms which have been in use since the start of the season, and which were funded with the help of grants from the Football Foundation and Barnet Council.

Despite having been hampered since early November by having up to 13 players unavailable through injuries, club director Oliver Deed – far right above with club chairman Steve Gray and first team coach Mick Hore – is hopeful Hadley might make it to the playoffs for promotion.

“We reached the first round of the FA Trophy, as we did last season, and although we are mid table, we have still got a chance of reaching the playoffs in 2026. It’ll but tough, but we are hopeful.”

Arkley's two top football teams Hadley FC and London Lions FC clash in local derby which gives village a new claim to fame.

For club members perhaps the next phase in the club’s development programme might be improvements to the bar and seating area in their clubhouse at Hadley Pavilion.   

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Borehamwood Brass players join choirs and orchestra for Christmas carol service held by Queen Elizabeth’s Girls’ School

An orchestra, two choirs and a brass ensemble filled the chancel of Barnet parish church for the Christmas carol service held by Queen Elizabeth’s Girls’ School.

Father Sam Rossiter, team vicar of St John the Baptist, thanked the school’s musicians and choristers for a “magnificent evening” of music.

He said Barnet was blessed by the musicality of QE Girls’, and their service of Nine Lessons and Carols was a reminder of the “power of music to bring joy to everyone.”

Rehearsals for the service by the school and chamber choirs began in September and for the first time four members of Borehamwood Brass joined the orchestra.

This year’s service was also the first to be conducted by QE Girls’ recently-appointed director of music, Cosima Rodriguez-Broadbent – see above, from left to right, with Simon Mansell (tuba) and Nathan Mansell (trombone).

They were supported by two trumpeters, Isaac Holt and Stone Tung. A high spot for the brass section was when they accompanied the choirs on their rendition of Ding Dong Merrily on High.  

 Ms Rodriguez-Broadbent said the challenge of a service like Nine Lessons and Carols was that it was a packed programme of readings and carols that needed to be properly rehearsed.

Queen Elizabeth's Girls' School Chirstmas carol concert praised by team vicar Father Sam Rossiter at Barnet Parish Church

Father Sam (far right) congratulated Cosima on the arrangement she had chosen for The Holly and the Ivy.

“Your version really enthused me,” he said.

See above, from left to right, music teacher Madeleine Tabacchiera, Cosima Rodriguez-Broadbent, Jonathan Gregory (organist) and Father Sam Rossiter.

Guests attending the service included the Mayor of Barnet, Councillor Danny Rich.    

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Totteridge Academy pupils hope ideas for a maze and sensory garden at community farm will help promote festive fundraising appeal

Sensory garden and maze designed by pupils at Totteridge Academy for the school's onsite community farm.

Students at Totteridge Academy have designed a sensory maze garden to be developed at GROW, the school’s on-site community farm and the aim is to have it planted and ready for opening by the spring.

Four groups of year seven pupils each prepared a design for a garden, and their ideas have been incorporated into an overall plan.

Meeting the estimated cost of the project of £5,000 will be the target of GROW’s annual festive prize campaign.

The garden will be situated between a newly planted pocket forest and the farm’s pollinator garden and apiary.

Lucy Hollis, the farm’s managing director – above far right – joined pupils Rory and Ben in checking out their design with the help of Grow staff member Tara Rudd who handles marketing for the farm.

The challenge for the students had been to come up with ideas for increasing the farm’s biodiversity and sensory planting to enhance the wellbeing and enjoyment of visitors to the farm.

Rory and Ben, who are both 12, said they had recommended the planting to encourage pollination by bees and insects and to attract birds.

Their garden will be planted around a dome of willow trees and all the pupils who took part hope a water feature will prove a great attraction.

They realised the importance of choosing plants and flowers with strong scents and leaves of different textures which will be interesting to the touch.

One of the priorities was to ensure that the garden would be accessible to wheelchairs as they wanted to make sure that everyone could enjoy going round the maze.

GROW cultivates seasonal food for use in the school and for sale to the local community and creates school and community projects and opportunities for volunteering and the chance to learn more about farming and cultivation.

For more information on the fund raising campaign:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VIt5GVwmzxDVanJL1sAaCJaZvuuDUrIe/view?usp=sharing

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Great enthusiasm and community spirit for Barnet’s annual Christmas Fayre despite a wet and windy Sunday in the High Street

Heavy rain did not dampen enthusiasm at Barnet’s annual Christmas fayre which was opened by the Mayor of Barnet Councillor Danny Rich with a rallying cry to residents to support their local shops and businesses.

Barnet Council was “very proud” of the commercial strength of Barnet town centre and its thriving High Street.

“We are delighted to support the fayre every year as it demonstrates the great community spirit of Barnet,” said Councillor Rich who spent three hours touring a wide array of stalls and events.

He cut a red ribbon to open the fayre alongside the Mayoress Laura Lassman, assisted by two of their grandchildren, Vinny and Emilia.

Before the official opening the marching band of the Barnet Boys Brigade and Girls’ Association paraded in the High Street and then accompanied the Mayor to the Christmas courtyard in the piazza outside Barnet College.

For the first time the fayre was sponsored by Hunters estate agents.

Joint proprietor Martin Richards said the agency was proud to be sponsoring an event which reflected the varied life of the local community.

Entertaining visitors at The Spires shopping centre were two characters – Alice (Montana Jackson) and Cheshire cat (Leo Marshall) – from The Bull Theatre’s Christmas pantomime Alice in Wonderland and the Stolen Christmas List.

Inside The Bull, there were two children’s magic shows by Leon – magician Leon Thomson of Barnet – who was the youngest member of the Magic Circle when he joined at the age of 18. Both shows were a sell-out.

Leon was assisted by two elves who are both pupils at the Susi Earnshaw Theatre School, Laurel Sumberg (13) and Nathaniel Morgan-Bennett (12).

Laurel was voted the second-best Matilda in the recent West End production of the show and Nathaniel is currently playing Simba in The Lion King.

Barnet parish church hosted a packed programme of events which started with a performance by the Big Choir under their conductor Sophie Hutchinson.

In a prime position in the High Street were two classic commercial vehicles adding a touch of variety to this year’s display organised by the Barnet Classic Car Club.

Pride of place went to a 1937 Morris delivery van from Crosse and Blackwell which was on loan from the Whitewebbs Transport Museum at Enfield.

Another Whitewebbs vehicle was a mini van which used to deliver car parts supplied by the former Enfield Brake and Clutch Services Ltd.

Seeing the van on display brought back memories for Classic Car Club stalwart Derek Haggerty who said he remembered the van delivering parts to a garage where he worked at Bush Hill Park.

“I couldn’t believe it at first. But it is the very same van that delivered the parts we needed, and I can even remember that it was Linda who used to be the delivery driver.”

Another community group determined to make its presence felt was the football supporters’ group BringBarnetBack who despite setbacks are determined to keep up the pressure on Barnet Council to help Barnet FC return to the town.

Currently the supporters are exploring with Barnet Council possible alternative sites for a new stadium following the refusal earlier this year to grant planning permission for an application by the club to develop a site off Barnet Lane, near the Ark Academy in Underhill.

Keith Doe, a founder member of the group – see above, right, with David Cursons – said they were working behind the scenes to come up with a suitable site so that the club could return to Barnet from its current stadium at The Hive in Harrow.

Residents who backed BringBarnetBack were encouraged to ring the club’s bell in support.

“If we cannot agree a new location with Barnet Council the club would almost certainly launch an appeal against the earlier refusal of planning permission but that would be very costly for everyone involved,” said Mr Doe.

Back in use for the Christmas fayre was the historic Tudor Hall which hosted a craft stalls.

Ever popular was the children’s fun fair close to the junction with St Albans Road. The rides were all busy until was it was dark – rounding off a fun day for so many of the children.

Barnet's annual Christmas fayre gets enthusiastic support despite heavy rain but lots of stalls and events built up community spirit

After spending the afternoon touring the fayre, the Mayor Councillor Rich said it had been a fantastic event despite the weather with great support from the town and a real community spirit.

“Yet again High Barnet has demonstrated why the town is such a popular place to live.”

Councillor Rich took the opportunity to give his best wishes to the Reverend Cindy Kent who is about to complete a two-year contract as vicar at St Peter’s Church Arkley.

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High Barnet’s Christmas tree adds some festive spirit to the High Street ahead of the town’s annual Christmas Fayre on Sunday    

Switching on the lights of the Christmas tree beside the parish church set the scene for festive events to be held during the annual Barnet Christmas Fayre on Sunday December 7.

Father Christmas and characters from The Bull Theatre’s Christmas pantomime Alice in Wonderland and the Stolen Christmas List joined in the ceremony.

Firefighters from Barnet Fire Station stepped in to erect and install this year’s Christmas tree when help was needed at the last minute.

Nick Staton of Statons estate agents – who has sponsored the tree for the last decade – was joined for the event by the team Vicar Father Sam Rossiter.

The fayre will be opened at 12noon on Sunday by the Mayor of Barnet, Councillor Danny Rich, who will cut a ribbon on the High Street close to Barnet Church.

Together with elves and other characters from the Bull Theatre, he will proceed to the marque on the Christmas Courtyard in the piazza outside Barnet College where he will welcome everyone and start the event.

Stalls will line the High Street; there will be the traditional fun fair close to the junction with St Albans Road; craft stalls in the Tudor Hall and more stalls on the Christmas Courtyard, through the Spires Shopping Centre and in Wesley Hall.

There is a full programme of events and entertainment: children’s activities and dancing by local groups in the Christmas Courtyard; live music, singing and choirs plus teas, mulled wine and refreshments at the parish church; live music, tea and cakes at the Wesley Hall; live music, choirs and performances at The Spires Shopping Centre, plus street entertainers outside Waitrose.

The Bull Theatre will be joining in the festivities, hoping to create a magical festive experience for families.

Santa’s Grotto will be open from 12.30pm to 4pm, with free entry and optional

donations towards the Christmas Fayre.

Visitors can enter through the front gate, follow the path along the side of the building, and come in through the open Studio/Café door (step-free access available).

There will be two performances of Leon’s Magic Show at 1.30pm and 3pm

(tickets £5). Two of Santa’s elves will join him on stage as they work towards

 earning their magician’s assistant badge, adding an extra touch of festive fun.

Bob Burstow, who helped to organise the installation of the tree, said it had been a close shave getting the tree up in time – and that is why the local firefighters were asked to help.

“We are so grateful because each December we get a Christmas tree supplied from Crews Hill by Tyler Bone, who runs a stall at Barnet Market.

“Unfortunately, this year’s delivery was a bit tight so when the tree arrived all our volunteer installers were at work – and that is when white watch from the fire station stepped in.”

Nick Staton said he was delighted to sponsor the cost of the tree. “We have been helping provide a tree for a decade or more and it is a great way of celebrating the community spirit of High Barnet and promoting the Christmas Fayre.” 

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Christmas appeal to train volunteers for Citizens Advice Barnet which advises people visiting Chipping Barnet Foodbank

Thanks to the assistance of Citizens Advice Barnet, the Chipping Barnet Foodbank is reporting real progress in its long-term aim of reducing people’s dependency on supplies of groceries and essential household items.

Over the last 12 months with guidance from Citizens Advice, the foodbank says that 247 of the households they support are now better off financially and 82 of them no longer need foodbank assistance.

Citizens Advice Barnet hopes such a vivid illustration of the impact of their role will boost a Christmas appeal when – during the first part of December – any donations are doubled in value by match funding from the charity Big Give.

Donations received during the Big Give Christmas challenge – from December 2 to 9 – will fund training for the advice volunteers who support residents across the borough facing challenges such as financial hardship, debt and homelessness.

www.barnetcab.org.uk/christmas-2025

A volunteer adviser from Citizens Advice Barnet holds a drop-in session at Chipping Barnet Library every Tuesday (although the library is closed for essential electrical work from December 8 to January 4).

Juliana Fonseca (above right) who became a volunteer with Citizens Advice Barnet five years ago, now works as a part time adviser at the twice weekly Chipping Barnet Foodbank.

Under the leadership of foodbank manager Victoria Miller (above left), Chipping Barnet leads the way for foodbanks across the Borough of Barnet in being able to provide support and advice about benefits, jobs and housing as well as offering emergency food supplies.

Each month there is a programme of free support and advice at the foodbank.

Juliana represents Citizens Advice Barnet every Tuesday and Saturday. Staff and volunteers from other services and agencies such as Barnet Homes attend on a regular basis.

Victoria and her team say the latest results for the foodbank demonstrate the success of their work in helping foodbank clients manage their affairs and to cut down or eliminate dependency on the need food parcels.

Statistics presented at the foodbank’s annual meeting revealed that 247 clients were helped by Citizens Advice Barnet in the 12 months up to September and that a total of 672 separate issues were sorted out.

With Juliana’s help and advice on problems such as debt management and benefit claims, there was a financial gain of £274,332 for the 247 households, with 82 deemed to no longer need support from the foodbank.

“What is so important is seeing people face to face, listening to their problems and then working out how to help them,” said Juliana. 

“It really is so satisfying finding ways I can be of use. When people come to the foodbank, Citizens Advice can be a first port of call.

“I sense their relief at finding someone who will listen and who can help them sort out their priorities, perhaps over debts or legal rights, or how to get benefit increases or possibly claim for new benefits.

“Housing is a massive issue. A lot of vulnerable households get                                behind with their rents and then become homeless and they can be desperate for help and advice.”

Juliana is a Brazilian by birth and completed her legal training in Brazil. After moving to the UK, she became engaged in human rights work and joined Citizens Advice as a volunteer.

Three years ago, when the Chipping Barnet Foodbank obtained a financial inclusion grant from Trussell, the trust which supports foodbanks across the country, Juliana took on a part-time post as CAB adviser.

Appeal to fund training of more volunteers for Citizens Advice Barnet as it celebrates success of helping people who visit Chipping Barnet Foodbank

Chipping Barnet Foodbank, which was established in 2012, is open twice a week, on Tuesdays (12pm to 2pm) and Saturdays (10am to 12pm).

It is held in the parish centre at St Peter’s Roman Catholic Church at 63 Somerset Road, New Barnet.

Over the last 12 months it distributed a total of 7,835 food parcels which supported 5,273 adults and 2,562 children, most of whom live in the six local wards of High Barnet, Barnet Vale, East Barnet, Brunswick Park, Whetstone and Underhill.

For manager Victoria it is the foodbank’s pioneering work in offering a wraparound service of advice which explains why it is the leading the way among foodbanks across the borough.

The latest help on hand is from an NHS talking therapist who visits each Tuesday and who can advise on mental health issues.

After two years’ experience, it is yet another indication of the scope of the foodbank’s initiative in offering people a multi-agency approach.

“When people arrive seeking help, we try to get to the root causes of why they need support,” said Victoria.

“Our monthly schedule of visiting advisers and volunteers from other agencies and charities provides that solid basis of support and is proving very successful.

“We have just had our annual meeting and even though there has been a 6 per cent increase in the food parcels we have issued, we have seen a drop in the number of people applying for help.”

Victoria helped to set up the Chipping Barnet Foodbank 13 yeas ago and became part-time manager three years ago.

In June she was honoured in the King’s Birthday Honours for her “services to the community in Chipping Barnet” and awarded a British Empire Medal which she was presented with by the Lord Lieutenant of Greater London, Sir Kenneth Olisa, at a ceremony at the Tower of London.   

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Three hot soups – butternut squash, lentil and Haleem – were on offer at High Barnet open evening for anyone in need of a tasty meal

Butternut squash soup was just one of the tasty choices on offer at an open evening when the High Barnet Islamic Centre welcomed low incomes families, homeless and lonely people to enjoy a hot meal and some company.

Local foodbanks had given their support in helping to provide supplies for what the centre hopes will become a regular soup kitchen available to the community.

As an alternative to Zeenatch Auleear’s offer of a dish of butternut squash soup – see above – there was a lentil soup and Haleem, a traditional South Asian winter soup.

Since the centre, which is in Bath Place, just off Barnet High Street, opened last year it has been extending its outreach programme of community events.

Events co-ordinator Anjim Iqbal (far right) welcomed a delegation from Barnet Council including Underhill Councillors Tim Roberts and Zahra Beg who both praised the centre’s latest initiative.

Councillor Roberts said the hospitality offered by the centre was very impressive.

“Opening a soup kitchen at the start of winter is just the right moment as it is a time when people might well be cold and hungry and looking for somewhere warm and safe to go and for something to eat.

“The centre has lots of space for events like this and it is absolutely central, just off the High Street.”

In addition to a hot meal and other refreshments, there was other help on hand.

High Barnet Islamic Centre welcomes those in need to a soup kitchen as it extends its outreach programme.

Everyday items such as combs and a range of health and sanitary products were laid out on a stall where Muskaan Iqbal and Aisha Fazil were ready to offer help and support.

“People on low incomes often cannot afford to buy what they need so it is important to be able to offer them everyday health and sanitary items,” said Muskaan.

Other items that were available to anyone in need were clothes and sleeping bags.

Anjim Iqbal said their initiative in launching the soup kitchen had been supported by the Food Bank Aid hub in Chaplin Square, Finchley; the Southgate Mosque and Food Bank; and the North Finchley Community Grocery.

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Fun-packed day promised for Barnet Christmas Fayre with a magic show a highlight at The Bull Theatre

Stall holders, traders and community groups are all booked in for this year’s Barnet Christmas Fayre on Sunday 7 December, the traditional and popular curtain raiser to the town’s Christmas festivities.

Organisers are promising a fun-packed day…and are hoping for better weather than for the opening last December by the then Mayor of Barnet, Councillor Tony Vourou.

Special events include a full programme of singing and dancing in the courtyard at Barnet College and a children’s magic show at The Bull Theatre by Leon the Magician. (1.30pm and 3pm, tickets £5)

Leon – Leon Thomson of Barnet – was the youngest member of the Magic Circle when he joined at the age of 18. His recent shows at The Bull Theatre were a sell-out.

He will be assisted for his Christmas Fayre show by two elves who are both pupils at the Susi Earnshaw Theatre School, Nathaniel Morgan-Bennett (12) and Laurel Sumberg (13).

Nathaniel currently is currently playing Simba in The Lion King and Laurel was voted the second-best Matilda in the recent West End production.

Plans well advanced for Barnet Christmas Fayre on Sunday 7 December. Magic show a highlight.

Adding colour and fun to the day will be cast members from The Bull Theatre’s Christmas show, Alice in Wonderland and the Stolen Christmas List.

There will be performances for local schools as from December 1 with public shows on December 6, 13, 14, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27 and 28 at 11am and 1.30pm. (Tickets £10).

A Christmas Fayre organising committee at The Bull Theatre – led by Susi Earnshaw, Ros Staines, Carly Pryke and Laura Davitt – have taken on responsibility for the fayre from the Barnet Borough Arts Council.

“We have been encouraged by all the support we are getting from Barnet traders and community groups, and we know how important the fayre is to the town,” said Ms Earnshaw, theatre manager at The Bull Theatre.

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Ceremony of Remembrance and a two-minute silence at Queen Elizabeth’s Girls’ School on Armistice Day

Pupils at Queen Elizabeth’s Girls’ School, Barnet, held their own Remembrance Day ceremony on Armistice Day as part of an initiative to remind a younger generation of wartime sacrifices.

At a short service on the lawn outside the school, two pupils who are Air Cadets laid flowers beside two British Legion “Time to Reflect” silhouettes.

The last post was sounded on a French horn by Kayla before a two-minute silence to mark the end of World War One.

Inside pupils watched the transmission of the British Legion remembrance virtual assembly for schools across the country during which Prince William described to young people the importance of wearing a red poppy.

Headteacher Mrs Violet Walker welcomed pupils to the ceremony which she said reflected the courage of men and women who gave their lives and those who returned and carried the weight of war.

Before pupils read out two remembrance poems – For the Fallen (Laurence Binyon) and In Flanders Fields (John McCrae) – Mrs Walker explained that they symbolised gratitude and respect for those who stood firm in the face of unimaginable suffering.

She said it was the responsibility of future generations to ensure the stories, sacrifices and hopes for a better future for the world were never forgotten.

Kayla (15) who performed the Last Post on her French horn, is a member of the school orchestra.

She spent the evening before studying the piece. It was “very special” being asked to play at the ceremony – her first performance of The Last Post.

Queen Elizabeth's Girls' School, Barnet, hold Remembrance ceremony on Armistice Day as Prince William reminds young people about importance on the red poppy

A remembrance service at the school – a first for QE Girls-– was the idea of associate assistant head teacher Mrs Amanda Campbell who wanted pupils to have their own experience of Remembrance Day and Armistice Day.

Mrs Campbell hopes the school ceremony will become an annual event.

See Above, from left to right: Air Cadet Lacey, who laid flowers; Alexandra, who read the first poem; Kayla (French horn); Amber, who read the second poem; Mrs Amanda Campbell; and Air Cadet Ria, who also laid flowers.

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Green around High Barnet war memorial packed for annual Remembrance Sunday Service  

High Barnet’s Remembrance Sunday service at the war memorial at the parish church was exceptionally well attended.

The first wreath was laid on behalf of the King by the Deputy Lieutenant for the London Borough of Barnet, Martin Russell.

The green alongside Church Passage was packed for the ceremony and Mr Russell expressed his pleasure at the strength of support shown for the service.

Reservists from 240 Transport Squadron of the Royal Logistics Corps led the ceremonial march through the High Street from the Army Reserve Centre in St Albans Road.

Captain Chandra Pun – a former major in the Gurkhas – laid the wreath on behalf of the armed services.

Other local dignitaries who stepped forward with wreaths included Councillor David Longstaff, representing the Mayor of Barnet; Councillor Emma Whysall, representing the Labour group; and Olly Gough, a prospective Labour candidate for Barnet Council, who laid a wreath on behalf of the Chipping Barnet MP Dan Tomlinson, who was attending the Remembrance Sunday service in East Barnet.

The last post was sounded by bugler Jonny Tillett, a 14-year-old pupil at Mill Hill School – the first time he had performed at a Remembrance Sunday Service.

Sergeant Charlie Forster, who assisted in conducting the ceremony, complimented Jonny on his performance.

Father Sam Rossiter, team vicar at the parish church, led the service.

For the first time the full parish and evensong choir – plus the choristers – were in attendance under the church’s director of music Patrick Korczak.

Parish administrator Tony Long said a total of 31 organisations had asked to lay wreaths during the service, including Barnet police, Queen Elizabeth’s Girls School, Totteridge Academy, cadet corps, guides and others from a wide range of organisations.

Exceptionally well attended Remembrance Sunday service at Barnet Parish church

Another first on the day was a wreath on behalf of the Barnet Society which was laid by the chair John Hay – and which in itself was another first.

The wreath was made up of poppies left over from a production of Snow White, which Pinewood studios donated to Ursula Stone, founder of the much-acclaimed Flower Bank project in New Barnet, which re-purposes surplus flowers.

Among the others who stepped forward to lay wreaths were Kevin Callaghan, proprietor of the new Corner Cafe in St Albans Road, and representatives of the licensees and staff of the Sebright Arms, Monken Holt and Old Fold Manor Golf Club.

Among the stalls selling British Legion poppies in the lead up to Remembrance Sunday was one at the Spires installed by East Barnet British Legion whose branch secretary Lisa Partridge welcomed the support of Barnet Pearly Queen Evie Waldren.

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Safeguards agreed by Barnet Council add greater protection for Quinta Village Green and could help to restore derelict youth club

Quinta village green and derelict Quinta youth club one step closer to being brought under residents' control after Barnet Council agrees asset of community value protection.

Quinta Village Green and the abandoned former Quinta Youth Club are one step closer to being brought under the control of a group of residents living in and around Mays Lane, Barnet, who have been campaigning for years to safeguard their open space and reopen a derelict clubhouse.

Barnet Council has agreed to list the whole site as an asset of community value, a safeguard which the Quinta Village Green Association hopes will be the first step towards establishing new facilities for the community.

ACV status for the green and clubhouse gives the community the right to apply for a potential community asset transfer which would allow a residents’ organisation to manage and operate the land and building for the benefit of the community.

An application is now being made to register the association as a community interest company which could develop and maintain community facilities on a non-for-profit basis.

Councillor Barry Rawlings, leader of Barnet Council, agreed to list the green and clubhouse as an ACV after meeting representatives of the village green association.

They outlined their vision for reviving the youth club building and enhancing the village green as a community-led hub.

Gina Theodorou, chair of the association, said the membership was thrilled that the importance of the green and club had been recognised and that the council had shared their vision that this was a place where people could come together.

“We can now start planning for a sustainable future with the hope that ACV status will ultimately lead to a full community asset transfer, ensuring the site remains protected and accessible for generations to come.”

She thanked Councillors Rawlings and Councillor Zahra Beg (Underhill) and Paul Frost from Barnet Council for their support.

The site was registered as a village green in 2010 following a public inquiry. Residents had argued that it should be preserved as an open space for community use and maintained by the council.

Local volunteers built the clubhouse in the 1960s and it served first as a youth club and community hub, later becoming a nursery and meeting place.

It has been vacant since 2006 when it was boarded up but in recent years residents have become increasingly concerned about continuing vandalism and anti-social behaviour around the building.

Planning approval was given in 2021 for use of the clubhouse to be changed from community use to become a store for the library service for schools in the Borough of Barnet but the proposed refurbishment did not take place, and the building has fallen further into disrepair.