News

The Highgate Newtown Community Centre (HNCC) is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Rose Bowl community centre in Islington.

The partnership will enable the successful HNCC ‘Wood That Works’ programme to be rolled out in new venues for the benefit of more young people in Islington.

Wood that Works is part of the HNCC ‘Reaching Communities’ programme. It gives young people the opportunity to gain skills in a supervised workshop environment, building self-confidence and teamwork as they learn design and creative skills. Woodwork challenges children and young people in a variety of ways as they employ new skills to make a wide variety of useful and fun objects they can keep.

Rose Bowl is part of Isledon Arts CIC: www.rosebowlislington.org.uk

Following the increase in youth violence in our local area Highgate New Town Community has partnered with Kentish Town Community Centre and Castlehaven Community Centre to deliver an innovative new project called ‘Voices not Violence’ .

In Highgate the project will be delivered from January 2020 and will run though to April 2021. Over a 10 week blocks, youth workers from Kentish Town Youth Project will travel up to Highgate to work with the young people in the local area. The project is part social action, part skills development, allowing the young people to increase their confidence and self esteem whilst recording their ideas onto film.

Jamie Weight coordinator of the project said: “We ran a pilot of this project in 2019. The young people really liked it. We have a film for the project and 30 young people trained up in first aid and self defence. Not bad for a budget of £6K!”

This phase of the  project is part funded by Young Camden Foundation and Camden Council through the Community Investment Levy. For more details contact youth@ktcc.org.uk

The HNCC is pleased to announce a meals on wheels delivery service using an electric vehicle which is hoped to start early in 2020. This new service has been made possible thanks to generous donations by partners, with £18,000 already pledged by Morrisons.

Costing only 2p per mile to run the Nissan e-NV200 is estimated to save £7,500 a year over the running cost of a typical equivalent diesel vehicle, can cover 106 miles on a single charge and be fully charged in just 30 minutes.

The HNCC already provides community lunches 5 days a week in different venues, but there is additional demand from those who are housebound and among the most vulnerable in society. An electric delivery vehicle will provide a lifeline, providing people with healthy, nutritious meals.

Culturally specific meal options are available and each meal features healthy portions including and entree, vegetable, bread or grain, fruit or dessert and a beverage. All meals are prepared fresh and without preservatives. Low-sugar, low-sodium and vegetarian options are available.

Interested in knowing more or benefitting from the service? Call 07918 633821 or email andrewhncc@outlook.com You can also download an information sheet.

We regret to announce that Anita Broome a longstanding respected member of the local community who served HNCC unstintingly in so many ways, including as a trustee, has recently passed away. Anita had been active in the community over the last thirty-plus years serving on many committees including Safer Neighbourhood, Highgate Newtown Community Partnership, 3 Point Park and The Secret Garden. Reception of the body into church Wednesday 16th October at 7.00pm and the funeral will be held at at11:30am on 17 October, both at St Anne’s Church Highgate West Hill. All Welcome.  No flowers or donations please.

A statement from the Chair of the HNCC:

“I am delighted as Chair of Highgate Newtown Communty Centre to welcome Camden Council’s investment of £110000 in a new wood work shop for schools and the community, based in the garages of the Whittington estate. This exciting venture is due to open this autumn.

The wood work sessions with the addition over three years of Jessica Straw as an assistant for Ricky Jefferson who does such a great job running the sessions, have been made possible by a very generous donation of £45,000 from St Annes Church Highgate. They believe that investing in the local community and eductaion is the best possible action churches can take and we are all very grateful for their support.

As Chair I welcome all our new partners in this wood work project. We can only succeed if we come together on projects like this – which is indeed part of our “Reaching Communities Programme”. We are particularly greatfull to the staff team Ricky Jefferson and our new staff member Jessica Straw for their enthusiasm in setting out to make this project a great success.”

Our partners in wood work
Brookfield Primary School
William Ellis secondary school
Monterey school Holloway
Tufnell Park School
Camden families and exclusion
Camden disability group
Ex servicemen and women
Camden youth offending
Islington youth offending
Mothers and daughters wood work classes

Laurel Fleck, Headteacher, says:

“Brookfield Primary School is delighted to be working in partnership with Highgate Newtown Community Centre woodwork program. This is an excellent new addition to the creative work the children already engage in at Brookfield. The children have returned to school after their workshops full of enthusiasm, joy and pride in their work. We are really grateful to have a strong relationship with such a proactive community centre.”

We are delighted to welcome David to the HNCC community in his new role as one of our Trustees.

David is the Minister at the Pond Square Chapel (Highgate United Reformed Church). The Church is a key partner of the HNCC, hosting ‘Movers & Shakers’ for infants and carers on Wednesday mornings, and Thursday Lunch Club for people of all ages (See our full timetable for all our activities). David is also developing the new Hub 4 All project in partnership with the HNCC which has attracted national lottery funding.

With a strong sense of the importance of a truly caring community, David will bring experience and enthusiasm to the work of the HNCC, building on our local partnership approach, while helping to secure our future.

Find out more about David and our other Trustees.

Kentish Town City Farm is no stranger to public sector cuts. Threatened with closure, it has been fortunate to find new funding sources and remains a vibrant and much loved community resource.

The Highgate Newtown Community Centre outreach program is currently working with the Kentish Town City Farm to offer free woodwork sessions in a summer program for children.

One of the activities is learning how to use a jigsaw to cut out farmyard animal shapes in wood which are then decorated.

Supporting community projects like those at Kentish Town City Farm is a vital part of building strong and lasting partnerships. Working together provides the resources and activities our local community needs to grow and flourish.

Ricky and Jessica at the HNCC woodworking centre have been teaching kids new skills as they learn how to make Go Karts.

Making something fun from scratch like a Go Kart might seem hugely daunting at first, but with guidance and the right materials and tools, the participants impressed themselves with what they were able to build.

The HNCC provides a caring environment where young people can bond with each-other, breaking down barriers through direct, rather than screen-based interaction. The program provides a valuable model which could be replicated nationwide, building the confidence of young people as they gain both practical and social skills.

Huge thanks to Lady Gould’s Charity who have provided a new grant of £17,000 towards community lunch staffing costs. This leaves a shortfall of  around 25% to achieve full funding. In the current economic climate fundraising is a constant challenge. We are proud of our continued success and grateful to all our funders for their support, which enables us to continue to provide a rich variety of services so vital to our community.

The new Wednesday tea sessions at St Anne’s between between 1pm and 4pm have got off to a good start with 24 people coming in for a cuppa on the launch day. Apart from the tea, participants enjoyed listening to live music and having a chat. A tea is just £3 and includes home made cakes and a sandwich selection including cucumber, cheese and salmon. Do come along and bring a friend. We will be delighted to welcome you.