Family day with tasty food and fun for children as new Islamic centre offers a welcome to High Barnet residents

A fun day out with activities for children and a vast choice of refreshments welcomed families, friends and supporters to the newly established High Barnet Islamic Centre.

Face painting and a bouncy castle were just two of the attractions together with stalls offering a great variety of treats, including an array of sweets made by an enterprising group of youngsters.

Darul Noor Islamic Centre hopes to take full possession of its new home in Bath Place, just off the High Street, later this year and plans to host a wide range of community events such as coffee mornings, youth activities and a food bank.

Helpers at the one of the many stalls offering a variety of dishes included charity trustees Mohammad Sabet (third from left) and Zainul Katib (second from right).

For the last four years the Darul Noor charity has held Friday prayers and Sunday activities for children at the Rainbow Centre on the Dollis Valley estate.

When the chance occurred to purchase their own property the charity’s trustees seized the opportunity to secure a building that was about to become vacant in Bath Place.

Owned by the Template Foundation, the property is known as The Centre and comprises a large meeting hall, seminar rooms and other facilities and was on the market for £2 million.

An offer of £1.8 million was accepted and Darul Noor immediately launched a fund-raising appeal.

A deposit of £550,000 has already been paid and the charity has set itself a deadline of May 31 to raise the remaining £1.25 million.

Leading members of the charity welcomed visitors at the family day (from left to right): Hassan Ali, Fahed Bhatti, Zainil Katib, and Shujaulhaq Siddiqui

The trustees say the building is ideal for their use because it is a multi-function space for activities for all ages and backgrounds offering the chance to promote community engagement.

“We are Muslims, but Darul Noor is very open, we are not at all secularised,” said Mr Fahed Bhatti, one of the charity’s committee members.

“Our new premises will be a centre and meeting place which we hope will also be used by the wider community.

“We are multi-cultural in our approach and once we have taken full possession of the building, we hope to open our doors to the community and especially to young people with a range of events, possibly a chess club, and other initiatives.”

Mr Bhatti, who was born in Finchley, lives in Arkley.

“We are a very friendly, diverse community, and we are open to ideas.

“Similarly, if there any complaints or suggestions please let us know at info@darulnoor.org.uk ”

To ensure that visitors found their way to the new centre, young stewards were placed at the entrance to Bath Place and the charity says it will make sure that if events are held people disperse quietly and there is no disturbance.