Serving West Hampstead and North Kilburn
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
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)
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
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
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
Please follow the West Hampstead Community Food Hub on:
Twitter: @w_hub
Instagram: @whampfoodhub
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.
The Development Worker will be responsible for managing & co-ordinating the new West Hampstead Community Food Hub based at Sidings Community Centre in NW6. The post holder will develop options for a sustainable model for the food hub, and work with a range of volunteers and local partner agencies to help research & close gaps in the response to food poverty within the West Hampstead and Kilburn area. The post will combine both professional skills and a hands-on approach to developing the current food parcel offer, and will include identifying additional strategies and activities to help alleviate food poverty locally.
Salary: £30,000 pa pro rata for 25 hours per week.
Deadline for applications – Mon 5th Oct
interview for shortlisted candidates on Friday 9th Oct. (start date asap).
Please download the following links and return application forms to the following email below.
For further information contact centre office on: office@sidings.org.uk or phone 020-7625-6260.
(post funded by grant from Edward Harvist Trust)
During 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, possibly by talking you through a process over the phone, working with you on your computer remotely or merely providing moral support.
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.
If you, or anyone you know, would like to take advantage of any support then get in touch with Geoff at ukonline@sidings.org.uk or phone 020 7372 0242.
We’re here to help!😃
Geoff Stilwell
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”.
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.
Please visit the link below for further details on how to apply.
Dear All,
Click on the links below to view the areas covered by The Hampstead Wells and Campden Trust. |
