News from The Barnet Society

Swifts have again been seen swooping and squealing high overhead in High Barnet -- aerial summer visitors that are an especially welcome sight in Fitzjohn Avenue where at least two pairs are thought to have chosen sites for nests.

After almost a year's trial and error, local sculptor John Somerville finally feels ready to display his clay model of High Barnet's feline celebrity, Millie the Waitrose Cat, before she is cast into a small bronze statue.

Neve Mayes,star trumpet player at Dame Alice Owen's School, marked the start and finish of the Victory in Europe Day two minute silence for residents in Fitzjohn Avenue, with her mother making sure the timings were correct.

Church services streamed live online have become a regular Sunday morning point of contact for worshippers staying at home under lockdown. Christ Church, High Barnet, is trying to widen its reach by inviting the public to post requests for prayers.

A pub on wheels offering a freshly pulled pint of stout delivered straight to the door is proving to be a popular lockdown innovation for a High Barnet landlord.

Professional singer Iain Mackenzie with his daughter Poppy lead a community sing song which has become part of the regular Thursday night clap for NHS workers held by residents of Carnarvon Road, High Barnet.

High Barnet publican Gary Murphy, licensee of the Mitre, has gone viral in a campaign to force pub owners to back down and agree to a rent holiday while the coronavirus lockdown continues.

Protective wooden boarding has been installed across the art deco windows of the Barnet Everyman -- a sure sign that a trip to the cinema is out of the question for weeks, if not months to come.

Less than six months after its official opening the Noah's Ark Children's Hospice in Byng Road, Barnet, is facing a financial crisis following a dramatic collapse in donations due to the cancellation of fund-raising events and activities during the coronavirus lockdown.  Hospices across the country are reporting a catastrophic drop in income.

High Barnet volunteers who love to sew are joining the nationwide effort to produce protective clothing for hospital and care home staff tackling the coronavirus pandemic.

High Barnet publican Gary Murphy, licensee of the Mitre, is at the forefront of a campaign by landlords to force pub owners to back down and agree to a rent freeze while the coronavirus lockdown continues. Greene King charge Mr Murphy £8,000 a month in rent.

Specialist shops along Barnet High Street -- as well as numerous take-away food outlets -- are determined to try to continue trading in the wake of the continuing lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic.

Locked and taped-off playgrounds are a poignant reminder of the impact that the coronavirus self-distancing restrictions are having on the opportunities for children to exercise and enjoy themselves.

Cultivating an allotment is one of the few outdoor activities that is still permitted during the coronavirus lockdown and thanks to the current run of fine, dry weather Barnet's plots have never been busier or looked in better shape. Strict rules on self-discipling and site hygeine apply and allotment holders are literally keeping themselves poles apart.

Barnet householders and families were out in force to join the second nationwide Thursday evening clap for carers in support of NHS workers treating patients during the coronavirus pandemic.

Planting trees on Barnet Hill has been one of the great achievements of the Barnet Society -- and it is still work in progress with a row of Hawthorn being the lastest.

Only around 20 shops and retail outlets are still open for business along the entire length of Barnet High Street during the second week of the tightening squeeze being imposed by the coronavirus lockdown.

Hadley Football Club, which is aiming to become a regular home attraction for many more Barnet football fans, faces two critical New Year fixtures in its bid to gain promotion to the next level of the National Football League.

A triptych featuring Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst – which was on display at the Barnet Guild of Artists’ annual exhibition – has pride of place in the entrance to the Reel cinema in Boreham Wood. Two walls of the cinema foyer gallery are filled with paintings, cartoons and caricatures by Barnet artist, Simon Ellinas.

An appeal to provide a Christmas present for children living in poverty across the Borough of Barnet is hoping to distribute well over 300 parcels each containing a gift. Presents can be purchased online for distribution by the Young Barnet Foundation as part of its Secret Santa Appeal.