Sidings Community Centre

Serving West Hampstead and North Kilburn

Donate!

Menu

ENROLMENT DATES AUTUMN TERM 2021

By

Tuesday 14th & Wednesday 15th September 2021

10am – 2pm @ Sidings CC – Main Hall (Door B)

Improve your English and/or Employability Skills with our FREE classes.

  • ESOL – Entry 1 – Wednesdays (College Certificate on completion).

  • ESOL – Entry 2 – Mondays, Tuesdays & Wednesdays
    (Qualification: Ascentis E2 in Terms 2 & 3)

  • Skills for Finding Work – Entry 3 – Tuesdays (OCNR Accredited) 

Thursday 16th September 2021

10am – 2pm @ Sidings CC – Main Hall (Door B)

Digital Skills Short Course/Workshops.

  • Short Course: Google Apps (12wks)

  • Digital Skills: Support Sessions (Appointment Only)

  • Smartphones/iPhones & Tablets Workshop (Appointment Only) 

  • Digital Skills: MS Word & Excel Spreadsheets (Appointment Only)

Come along to the the Assessment day and Book for your place for a workshop or enrol onto a course.  

For further details please contact the Main Office on 020 7625 6260 or 07483 378339 and ask for Gio or email on office@sidings.org.uk

COVID-19 COMMUNITY VACCINATION SERVICE

By Leave a Comment

The Camden Vaccine Bus is heading to
Sidings Community Centre Car Park, 
150 Brassey Road, NW6 2BA

*Saturday 3rd July, 10am – 2pm 
* Tuesday 6th July, 3pm – 7pm

The bus will be parked in Sidings CC car park where local NHS staff will be vaccinating the Moderna Vaccine to local residents. You can either turn up on the day and be vaccinated (subject to availability) or you can book an appointment in advance by calling 020 7974 4444 (option 9).

Coronavirus cases are rising so if you haven’t had your first dose of the vaccine, please come along to protect yourself and your loved ones.

This is a free service for anyone aged 18+. You don’t need to be registered with a GP or have an NHS number to be vaccinated. You won’t be asked for proof of ID, address, or immigration status.

Other ways to book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment in Camden:

If you have any questions about the vaccine, there will be healthcare professionals, including GPs and vaccinators, on-site who can give you more information before you choose to have it. There’s also information at nhs.uk/coronavirusvaccine and camden.gov.uk/covid19vaccine or you can read the attached leaflet which is available here too: https://www.camden.gov.uk/documents/20142/0/4205.357+-+COVID-19+vaccine+and+testing+leaflet.pdf/e8091497-886e-5712-e5d8-ad8210b7e5e6?t=1623060430691

West Hampstead Community Food Hub

By

The West Hampstead Community Food Hub based at the Sidings Community Centre supports over 100 local families with a weekly food bag.

Here’s how you can help:

Donate Food:

We are continually grateful for donations of
non-perishable food (in particular cereal, long-life milk, tinned tuna, pasta, rice, pasta sauce).
You can drop donations at any of these local venues:
• Little Waitrose: 319 West End Lane
(any time they’re open)
• Paramount Properties: 150 West End Lane
(Mon to Fri 9am-6pm)
• Emmanuel Church: Lyncroft Gardens
(Thur 10am-12 & 5:30pm-7:30pm)
• Sidings Community Centre: 150 Brassey Road
(Fri 6pm-7pm)

Donate Funds:

We rely on regular donations from the community to:
• Buy fresh fruit and veg to include in all food parcels
• Supplement donations of non-perishable food
If you’re able to make a regular donation you can set up a standing order
via the Sidings Just Giving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/sidingscc
Or you can also make a one-off donation via our Food Hub Just Giving page
here: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/whcfh

Volunteer:

If you’d like to volunteer, send your name, and mobile number to whcfoodhub@gmail.com and we’ll add you to the WhatsApp group we use to
coordinate volunteering

Further Information:

Please visit West Hampstead community Food Hub website to learn more about the project and how you can get involved.
West Hampstead Community Food Hub

Social Media:

Please follow the West Hampstead Community Food Hub on:
Twitter: @w_hub
Instagram: @whampfoodhub

Computer Support

By

Technical SupportDuring the current lockdown we are forced to make more use of technology to keep in touch with others.

We at Sidings are offering support for people struggling with technology. We are offering face to face 1hr computer sessions (BOOK IN ADVANCE) at the centre on Thursdays. Please book an appointment before coming to the centre. If you, or anyone you know, would like to take advantage of getting IT support then get in touch with Gio at office@sidings.org.uk or computerskills@sidings.org.uk or phone 020 76256260.

Computer Tutorials

We are also offering free and simple computer-based tutorial videos with accompanying notes.

Go to the St@rt Learning Paint website which gathers together all the resources you need to learn how to be creative on the computer. If you have young children with you then it will be a great opportunity to give them a creative outlet and it’s a lot of fun.

We’re here to help!😃

Sidings CC Update (Jan 2021)

By Leave a Comment

Welcome to 2021 everyone – although right now it feels a bit like a re-run of 2020 except made more challenging by the mid-winter months and T4 restrictions putting so much on hold.  But stay with it – the nights are already getting lighter, Spring is on the way, and we hope that gradually the threat of the pandemic will start to lessen and we can get a glimpse of life returning to something like normal.

Whilst many of our current activities are suspended, our wonderful nursery remains open with most children attending, and the West Hampstead Community Food Hub is very active, distributing food parcels to between 120-130 households a week. We must thank the fantastic team of volunteers who help organise this each week, and the local residents and businesses who regularly donate money, food and other goods so generously each week to ensure no-one goes hungry in our community. This all counts so much! BIG THANKS TO YOU ALL.

Please check out the West Hampstead Community Food Hub website for the latest news:
https://westhampsteadcommunityfoodhub.org/

Some of our other key services such as the Youth Club are also offering activities online – so please click on our Youth Club page for more details.

For those wanting to access our Computer and Digital Skills Centre, this is not currently offering any on-site or virtual sessions. Many of you will know that Geoff, our long-standing tutor, has recently retired – and we are in the process of re-establishing a new programme and aim to be getting online advice and support sessions up and running shortly.

In the meantime, some of you may be interest in some of Camden Community Learning courses and workshop, please see the posters below for further information.

Community Development Flyer (Spring 2021)

CamdenDigitalLibraryPoster 2021

https://www.camden.gov.uk/digital-library

We will be sending out an Early Spring 21 Newsletter soon to give everyone an update of what is happening at Sidings and locally – but in the meantime – Take care, Stay Safe and Well everyone – and get the vaccine if offered it!  Details of how to get COVID tests and also how to offer help to volunteer with the vaccination programme are as per links below:

Coronavirus testing in Camden
https://www.camden.gov.uk/nhs-test-and-trace

Volunteering to help with Vaccination roll-out
https://help.timetospare.com/camden

SCC Update (Sep 2020)

By Leave a Comment

It’s Autumn and it’s a big “hi” to everyone from all of us at Sidings.  Good News – albeit somewhat cautious – the centre is now open for a wider programme of activities. Fortunately, many of our main on-site services can continue exempt from the rule of six – which include our early years nursery, youth club, adult learning classes and our digital inclusion support and learning service – although we are keeping numbers low and attendance is by prior booking only.  It’s not the full programme we are used to but we are glad to be able to see people benefitting from activities on site again.  We will, however, also keep in touch with our users online to offer support and information.  More details under the specific service pages on the website.

The centre staff have worked hard to ensure the premises offer “COVID19 Safe” environment – with lots of sanitiser and PPE items in use, and our COVID19 safe building risk assessment has been accepted by Camden. We are fortunate in having separate entrances and our large main hall which offers a spacious and multi-purpose activity area to help accommodate a variety of activities whilst providing for safe social distancing. We can also offer smaller one-to-one sessions for help with Computer and Digital Technology advice.  As of 24th Sept, the centre is also registered with the NHS for the new “Test & Trace App and has been given a QR code to check – which is displayed throughout the premises.

MORE GOOD NEWS!! – from August, Sidings has also hosted the busy FoodCycle food bank delivery service, formerly located at the nearby St Cuthbert’s church. This wonderful community initiative was started in mid-April and relies heavily on local volunteers who help collect donations and sort items of non-perishable food and fresh fruit and veg each Friday evening. These are then bagged up and delivered to members of the community who need help with food each Saturday.   FoodCycle is resuming a hot meal “cook & collect” service at St Cuthbert’s from Sat 3rd Oct but the good news is that the food bank will continue at Sidings Community Centre.  It has now been renamed as the West Hampstead Community Food Hub. So ……..please continue to donate food items and  if you are interested in helping out  or you would like to receive some help with food or learn more about the service – contact us on office@sidings.org.uk or phone 020-7625-6260.

From October onwards we hope to send out a more regular newsletter which will give out information and news to all those registered on our mailing list.  If you would like to be added to our mailing list fill in the form on the homepage.

Vacancies: The centre has been awarded some funding from the Edward Harvist Trust, which includes a member of staff to help develop the Community Food Hub project.  If you are interested in applying for the post – please download the Job Description and Application form from the website.

Update CoronaVirus COVID 19

By

Sidings Community Centre is closed to the public as from Friday 20th March.

It is with great regret we are taking these steps, but we must share in the nation’s joint responsibility to reduce non-essential social contact to help delay the spread of the COVID19 virus. We hope all our users, volunteers, partners and supporters stay safe and well during this period of social distancing over the next 12 weeks, and possibly further into the summer. Let’s also remind ourselves and others to be kind to any neighbours in need

Due to further restrictions to non-essential journeys brought into force from Tuesday 24th March, staff will be working from home until further notice. We will keep in touch with our users, offering support and information about access to online services and community-based initiatives, particularly aimed at those most vulnerable in the community. We will remain in active contact with partners, to share news and maintain online networking. Further updates will be on our website as the situation evolves, www.sidings.org.uk

These are strange and unsettling times, but we are heartened by the willingness of many in the community to help those who are in need of support.

In the meantime, from all at Sidings – we wish everyone to “stay safe and well”.

Sue Measures
Centre Manager

Make your own Fabric Face Mask.

By

HELPFUL TIPS TO CREATE YOUR OWN FACE MASK

Have a look at the links for the best and most effective use. 
Examples of the face masks from the tutorial links. (Face masks created by Camden ACL sewing tutor)
 

FACE MASK PATTERN/TEMPLATE: Mask-both-adult-modified

What Are The Best Materials for Making DIY Masks?

Let us know how your face masks turned out by tagging us on twitter: @Sidingscc – Instagram: @sidingsscc or Facebook: Sidings Community Centre.

Enjoy and stay safe.

Financial Support from Camden Council available to households

By

£3million hardship fund to support residents through coronavirus crisis

Camden Council will give three-month Council Tax holidays and one-off support payments to help residents struggling with their finances as a result of the coronavirus.

Please visit the link below for further details on how to apply.

https://news.camden.gov.uk/3million-hardship-fund-to-support-residents-through-coronavirus-crisis/

Advice and Support for anyone facing Financial Difficulties Living in Camden

By

Dear All,

Here is another very useful and potentially vital source of advice and support for anyone who is facing financial difficulties.
I wanted to take this opportunity to remind you that the Debt North Camden Project is available to help community members who may be facing debt issues.
It is even more important that during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic we make sure that people in our community are accessing services available to them to help prevent them falling further into debt.
I can offer one to one debt advice and financial capability sessions for the moment, over the phone, to anyone living in the project’s area. I can also give full details of emergency measures introduced to hep people with financial issues as a result of being impacted by COVID-19
The Debt North Camden Project is funded by the Hampstead Wells and Campden Trust, you can find a full list of streets covered by the project on their website: https://www.hwct.org.uk/area-of-benefit/
Click on the links below to view the areas covered by The Hampstead Wells and Campden Trust.
Josephine Jija (Money Adviser – Citizens Advice Camden) can take referrals from individuals or organisations and can be contacted directly on the number below or by emailing: debtnc@camdencabservice.org.uk
Debt North Camden:07471522753