News, comment and features

Sixteen-year-old Joshua Folkes was stabbed to death in Palmers Green on 3rd December 2013.  To mark the anniversary of this sad event, the campaigning group Get Outta the Gang is organising a march on the afternoon of Saturday 6th December from Palmerston Road to New Southgate Cemetery.  The march will commemorate Joshua and so many more young people who have died as a result of gang violence. Read more about the march on the Get Outta the Gang website and on North London Today........

A newly published guide to street design sets out the latest thinking on how roads and streets in cities, towns and villages can be decluttered and redesigned to make them not only pleasanter to look at and to use, but also significantly safer. Street Design for All - "a compilation of current thoughts and practices in the art of Street Design" - reflects the work and ideas of professional road engineers and of campaigners for improvements to the "public realm".1  It provides an easy to.......

The Enfield Transport Users Group (ETUG) is a forum that meets several times a year to discuss the provision of public transport within the Borough.  It brings together representatives of various official and voluntary organisations - including councillors and officers from Enfield Council, TfL, train operating companies, the Enfield Commuter Group, the Federation of Enfield Residents' and Allied Associations (FERAA), the Enfield Over 50s Forum, organisations representing disabled people,.......

Talkies Community Cinema rounds off its Autumn season on 10th December with Downhill, a humorous but touching look at men's mid-life crises, starring local actor Jeremy Swift. Jeremy is well know to viewers of Downton Abbey, in which he plays Maggie Smith's butler, Spratt.  And he is currently rehearsing for a major role in an amazing production of the Railway Children at King’s Cross Station (featuring a proper steam train!) After the screening Jeremy will answer questions from members.......

Keeping House' is Enfield Council's innovative scheme for property owners living in long term residential care. For people moving into long-term care the cost, time and effort needed to maintain an empty property can prove challenging. Properties often remain unoccupied for lengthy periods of time, falling into disrepair and can attract anti-social behaviour. Under this scheme homes can be leased to the Council for a fixed period of time (five years) and provide guaranteed rental income to.......

Would you like to help improve local health and social care services? Can you help Healthwatch Enfield reach out to local communities and find out about their experiences as patients, carers and service users? Do you have personal experience, skills and enthusiasm to offer? We welcome and value contributions from all sections of the community, including people of all ages from 16 upwards. We are currently looking for volunteers for the following roles: Community Outreach volunteer: reach.......

In the same week that Southgate District CivicTrust placed a blue plaque on the former home in Winchmore Hill of wildlife photographer and author Oliver Pike, their members celebrated winning the Local History Publications Award for Best Journal 2014 for the latest edition of their local history bulletin, Oakleaves. The.......

Message from Enfield Council. Despite having already made £75million of savings over the last four years Enfield Council now needs to find a further £80million savings over the next four years. By 2017/18, Enfield’s funding from central government will have been reduced by a further 25% meaning that, like most local authorities, Enfield is facing its toughest financial challenge to date. We would like to invite you to attend one of our focus groups where you can find out about the services.......

The Quieter Neighbourhoods schemes which Enfield Council are planning will use various "traffic calming" measures, the aim of which is to reduce traffic accidents, encourage walking and cycling by reducing the stress associated with heavy or fast traffic, and generally make life pleasanter for people living, walking or cycling along residential streets away from main roads. Traffic calming is not universally popular - concerns include noise and damage to cars allegedly caused by speed humps and.......

24th January – 21st March (8 weeks not inc. Saturday 7th March) Ages 5-8yrs 10am – 11am 9-12yrs 11.15am – 12.15pm Cost:    Pay As You Go: £6 per session (Termly Membership: pre-register for all 8 workshops for a 25% discount). Saturday Shed gives a great opportunity for young people to develop their performance skills using our proven teaching methods and unique performance style. Led by our highly experienced and energetic staff, each session will involve.......

Chickenshed Community Chorus - an ongoing series of vocal sessions at which you can develop your singing skills as part of an ensemble and learn a number of arrangements. Sessions are led by Jo Collins – Chickenshed’s Director of Music. The next series of workshops starts on  Wednesday 21st January and runs until Wednesday 25th February 2015 (fiveweeks not including Wednesday 4th February) Time: 6.30-8.30pm Cost: £7.50 each session Age: 21+ Running Time: 2 hours. The.......

After the success of their last show Mack & Mabel. Finchley & Friern Barnet Operatic Society are soon to begin work on their next adventure on stage, Hot Mikado. A modern day adaptation of Gilbert & Sullivan's The Mikado - expect Zoot Suits instead of Kimonos and hot jazz numbers instead of the traditional operatic fare and a whole lot more! If you're interested in being part of the Hot Mikado, you're invited to an Introductory Evening on Wednesday 26th November, or if you can't.......