Just a short note to say that Holloway Neighbourhood Group's Annual Report 2019/20 is now available to read on the website.

Please click the picture on the right to be taken to the report.

COVID-19 has led to increased challenges around mental health and social isolation. We’ve produced a report to explain how Holloway Neighbourhood Group has responded to the challenges – you can download it by clicking on the picture to the right. 

We will continue to listen to our local communities and quickly adapt our services as needs and restrictions change.
 
For more information, or to find out how we can support you, contact us on 020 7607 9794 or firestation@hng.org.uk.  

Take care and stay safe,
Lucy, HNG Chief Executive

As we are again spending more and more time at home due to the new COVID-19 restrictions I am sure many of us are becoming more inactive. I know I am. There is always something to watch and it’s easy to put exercise off until tomorrow. But to borrow from Elvis Presley, often ‘tomorrow never comes’. 

I try and remember that being active is good for my physical and mental wellbeing and I’ve found that setting aside a regular time to exercise has helped, although I appreciate that this is easier said than done. This applies to everyone, not just me – but it particularly applies to people who have pre-existing health conditions or who are older. 

I’ve tried to encourage my mum (80) to do more exercise by reminding her that if she loses her strength now that she’ll never get it back. This is just one reason why we should all try to move regularly, including exercises to help stay strong and steady. As she was a Gymnastics instructor, who’s classes I was forced to attend for years, I know she loved bellowing at other people to tell them they we’re doing a move incorrectly: ‘Daniel, you’re not concentrating’, ‘point your toes’, ‘keep your eye on the ball’. That last one was more tennis in the back garden than Gymnastics, but I am sure you get the point. This means I now take some pleasure at taking my turn to dish out an order or two back to her to ‘do regular exercise’. 
​
I wouldn’t order everyone around... However, a gentle reminder that we have three exercise at home classes (on Zoom) on offer each week that you could try and build into your routine is ok, I think? These are; 

• Egyptian dance for women – Tuesday, 2.30pm to 3.30pm
• Yoga – Wednesday, 12.30pm to 1.30pm
• Tai-Chi – Friday 11.30am to 12.30pm​

Why not give one a try. Contact us on 0207 7607 9794 or firestation@hng.org.uk for joining details and technical support to help you access Zoom is available. 
Daniel

We've put together a short video to show people what we've done to get the Old Fire station ready for visitors. The video shows the one way system, signage, hand sanitisers - and more. 

We hope to see you here soon. 

Contact us on firestation@hng.org.uk or 020 7607 9794 to find out more about what we've done. 

The Old Fire Station community centre will slowly re-open for activities, commencing on Monday 6th July.
We will continue to offer our In-Touch telephone chat service, and Online Classes of Egyptian Dance, Creative Writing, Art, Tai Chi and Yoga.

Face-to-face activities on offer from the week-commencing 6 July:

• Film Club – Tuesdays, 1.30 pm
• Bingo – Wednesdays, 12 noon
• Men’s Talk  – Thursdays, 10.30 am

All activities must be booked in advance – please call 020 7607 9794 or email firestation@hng.org.uk.

To help stop the spread of the virus we have introduced some new safety measures - a one-way system round the centre, 2 metre social distancing and hand hygiene rules, closure of the kitchenette, and additional cleaning protocols. Everyone visiting the centre will be required to wear a face covering, so please make sure that you bring with you a scarf or face mask along with your own water bottle.

Although things are going to be a little different, we are so excited to start to welcome you back to the Old Fire Station!

During these difficult and unknown times we all find ourselves in I have been somewhat frustrated.  Due to my own long-term health conditions I was placed in the Government’s ‘shielded’ group, so I’ve been isolating and have not been out since the middle of March. The frustration was partly that I couldn’t register in the call out for NHS volunteers. However, I was able to help one person - an ex-neighbour and friend who is in her 80’s and sadly has serious chronic conditions.

I registered her with the Government’s & Islington Council’s schemes for vulnerable shielded people. Eventually, she started receiving a weekly parcel of dry and tinned food. However, it took a couple of weeks, and prior to that Islington Council put me in touch with a community group who could help.

At the community group, I spoke with a friendly sounding young lady, and explained my friend was very low on food. She managed to get, and safely deliver, all the food items we had agreed upon, with just one substitution.
​
A few weeks later, I asked her to get another few items - my friend needed some fresh veg and a couple of treats as was feeling very down. She again managed to get it all. When she rung me to say job done, she told me she had then gone to a nearby shop a second time as she thought that magazines would cheer up my friend. Could I call my friend and ask her to come down to her front door again as she had left a couple of them in ‘our delivery place’?

I am very grateful to this wonderful volunteer who was prepared to go to numerous places for the right things. She was already a star in my eyes, but to think of something extra, and then go and get magazines after delivering the food was an amazing act of kindness, which I will not forget. They certainly gave my friend a boost.

There really are some wonderful people in our community - one of the reasons I love Islington!
​Take care and hope to see you all soon.
​
Wendy – HNG Marketing volunteer

This week is also Creativity and Wellbeing Week and I am always inspired by the kindness and understanding shown by our wonderful Art for Wellbeing tutors James and Oriana, who encourage kindness and understanding between students and also remind students to remember to be kind to themselves. The result is that these classes have become safe places for anyone however experienced or inexperienced to safely explore their creativity in a supportive and positive environment.

One of the ways to be kind to yourself whilst being creative is to notice the positives of your act of creativity. So - maybe your self-portrait’s a bit of a monster at the moment but hey – you had fun making it and the eyes look really good!

My pledge this week is to make sure I print and post a copy of an old family photo that I know one of my elderly relatives would very much like to have.
​
Antoinette

​For Mental health Awareness Week I am sharing this wonderful act of kindness I witnessed at the Old Fire Station.

One day a new person came into the Centre. After speaking to them they were very wary of meeting new people and didn’t feel confident to join-in - which of course is totally fine. Another service user overheard the conversation and offered to make them a cup of tea, which was lovely as it was very cold outside. The new person accepted the offer and with cups of tea in hand they proceeded to chat away for 10 minutes. Such a typical scene at the Old Fire Station. The new person then filled out their registration form and has been coming to various classes ever since. I don’t think she would have joined without that cup of tea. Small acts of kindness go a long way. 

To return the above act of kindness during this week I have baked a cake to send to key workers at my son’s workplace.

To borrow from the words of Dr. Frasier Crane: ‘this is Chelsey wishing you all good mental health’.

Chelsey

Today, Monday 18th May, marks the start of Mental Health Awareness Week. The theme this year is Kindness. I’d like to take this chance to share an act of kindness I’ve experienced at HNG and make a pledge to do something kind for someone this week. To steal a line from someone else ‘every little helps’.

It was early in my time at HNG and it was a very hot day during July. The sun was beating though all the glass windows of the Old Fire Station’s reception, which I had been left to cover (we were short staffed at the time as one member of staff had ‘selfishly…’ broken their ankle). It was a very busy day with lots of people coming in and out of the Centre – and it also was the day when new phone lines, phones & broadband were being installed in the building. 

At one specific moment an exercise class was about to start, so lots of people were asking me questions at the same time. The telephone engineer was waiting to talk to me – and the phone was ringing – also a volunteer was trying to ask me some questions. I slightly snapped at the volunteer and said something like, “I can’t deal with your question right now I’m having a very stressful time and it’s also my birthday”. The afternoon rolled on and it was much quieter. At some point the volunteer came back in clutching a brown coloured paper bag and handed it to me. The smell was divine – they had bought me a McDonalds. A cheese burger, fries and hot apple pie.  It was an act of kindness that I’ll never forget and will always be grateful for. 

For my pledge of kindness this week I am going to share a sewing project with a friend of mine I’ve not spoken to in ages. I know they like sewing and it will give me an excuse to check in with them and see that they’re safe and to (hopefully) get some advice for my project. 

Some simple pledges can be found here if you feel like joining in. 

Until next time. 
Daniel

We are delighted to announce that the London Community Foundation has given us a generous grant to extend our telephone and online services. The closure of Holloway Neighbourhood Group’s Old Fire Station and Stress Project centres 7 weeks ago, left us concerned about the wellbeing of our many centre users who rely on our services to meet up with friends, seek support and keep active. Since closing we have transformed many of our activities so that we can stay connected to the community either by telephone or online. The funding will enable us to grow these services to reach more people.

“In Touch” is our new telephone support service. Our volunteers regularly call people who have found themselves isolated by the lockdown. As well as having a friendly chat, we have supported people to download e-books, get practical support around the delivery of food, and recommended online exercise classes (we especially love the yoga class [click here for the class] delivered by our own tutor, Dunya). Our service is expanding rapidly, so do contact chelsey@hng.org.uk if you would either like to receive our calls or to volunteer to make the calls.

The grant from the London Community Foundation has also enabled us to expand our Stress Project counselling service, making it available to more people and to those on the very lowest incomes. During these challenging times, it is important that people can access support without long waiting lists. Once a health or social care professional has completed our referral form [here], we can book an assessment without delay. Our amazing counsellors are able to offer counselling either online or over the phone.

We can’t wait to be able to safely open our doors once again and welcome visitors at the Old Fire Station and Stress Project centres. But we also know that “In Touch” and our online counselling will be appreciated by some for many months to come.

Take care and stay safe,
 
Lucy Bingham, HNG Chief Executive

We are delighted to announce the launch of our free 'Create in Your Space’ help to be creative at home art classes. 

Create in your Space is the new phase of our Art for Wellbeing project and is focused on supporting you to be maintain wellbeing and creative while in lockdown. 

We have one class each week: 

Creative Writing: Hosted on Zoom with Oriana on the 1st & 3rd Thursday of each month at 1.30pm. 
Explorative Art: Creative activity guides sent direct to your email on the 2nd & 4th Thursday of each month with telephone support from James, the tutor. 

We hope that as many people as possible can join in so please contact us on 0207 6079794 for information on how to join the classes. 

We are grateful for the continued funding provided by Clarion Futures to put these classes on. 

More information on the classes can be found here and don't forget to send us your work so we can put it in the online gallery.
Antoinette 

As we speak to more and more people with our In-Touch friendly chat service we’re finding that lots of our service users at asking after our tutors and facilitators – so we thought that’s a sign that you might like to hear from Dunya – our super friendly Yoga facilitator.

What have you been doing during lockdown?

Mainly being with my child at home, she is 3 and is becoming very active, but she is happy so that’s the main thing.

I have been thinking a lot about how I can contribute and stay connected to my community during this time and I have been teaching a weekly online yoga class, via Zoom, for Maa Shanti (LINK), which has been great. I’ve also looked to connect with you guys at the Old Fire Station and I’ve made a 30 minutes heart-centred Yoga video for people to do at home.

What’s it like teaching an online class?

It’s different for sure. I kind of imagine that I am with the people, all in a room together, and then I just go and get in the zone letting my mind focus on the Yoga.

Why should people do Yoga as part of their exercise routine now?

Yoga doesn’t just help keep you fit, it helps you to connect the body to the mind and to release the tension and stress stuck in the body. This is especially important when you’re experiencing a situation that can cause tension and anxiety. More than ever, this is the time to take care of our body and mind.

What simple exercise do you recommend when feeling stressed?

I would say the best thing to do when we feel stress or anxious is to slow down the breath. The 3 second breath exercise is easy and accessible to all: Sit comfortably on a chair, with the back supported. Close the eyes. Inhale 3 seconds through the nostrils while you fill the belly with air and exhale 3 seconds through the nostrils while emptying the belly. Repeat 5 to 10 times.

Thank you Dunya. 

Please visit www.hng.org.uk/yoga to view Dunya’s 30-minute Yoga video.
Daniel

​As our new ‘In Touch’ service completes its fourth week, I am delighted to say that we’ve made over 250 phone calls to our service users to combat isolation and share information about where to get practical support. We offer a listening ear and help people to stay connected.
 
People are looking forward to our phone calls – they are providing “lightness and laughter” in their week. It’s very apparent that many people are getting a lot of support from friends, family and neighbours – but, where possible, they are also looking to help other people. For example, one person has been practising the Mindfulness techniques they’ve learnt at the Stress Project especially around “letting go” and “learning to accept what she can and cannot control”. And while practising this herself she is also passing this advice on to other people. So, there is a new sense of community developing – passing on, or helping each other where we can. 
 
Over the weeks I’ve noticed some trends appearing. In the first week people were very focused on getting on with it. “This is the situation and I’ll cope as best I can”, so to speak. In week 2, I found that people were becoming a little more stressed and needed more signposting to other support services for things like food delivery. In week 3, I sensed that people were becoming unmotivated and in week 4 the trend is more towards frustration, “when is this situation going to end?”. So, I’ve been offering little bits of advice - encouraging people to lean on their coping skills, such as Mindfulness, or signposting to something creative like an on-line art class.
 
I'm finding that our phone calls are really appreciated – people are asking how staff and other service users are and say they look forward to my call next week. It’s fantastic that Islington Council are referring people to our service – these are people who previously have not accessed our services so it’s great to welcome them into our community. If you know of someone who could benefit please do let us know. 
 
Until next time, 
 
Sahir – Older Men’s Project Worker

The last week or so has seen a huge change for us at the Old Fire Station but we’re quickly adapting to the new normal. One of things we’ve been doing is telephone befriending with our service users to help combat isolation and to share information about where to get practical support.
 
We’ve spoken to over 75 people in the last few days and we’re finding out so much about our service users – from full on family histories to details of crochet projects and more.
 
We’ve been pleased to find that many of our service users have been doing exercises based on what our tutors have taught them. One elderly lady has even made up her own exercise routine, to do in the garden, that combines moves from the gentle exercise and the Tai-Chi classes – very creative. We’ve also been helping people to access online services for example assisting one person to download and read books on iBooks.
 
Overall we’ve found that people are missing their friends, children and grandkids most of all. But some have seen this as an opportunity to learn how to FaceTime to stay in contact.  However, people are more often than not asking how we are, or are concerned with how the tutors are. I must say it doesn’t surprise me – we’ve always had lovely and caring service users.
 
I’ve also taken a lot of pleasure in connecting people to their Old Fire Station friends – by sharing telephone numbers (with permission!). Community can stay alive even when we can’t be in the same place.
 
If you know or anyone that could benefit from Telephone befriending please do contact us and we will see if we can help.
 
Chelsey

​Today I joined the Coffee and Bingo session that runs every Wednesday, noon to 1pm at the Old Fire Station (cost £1). Those who know me were a bit surprised to see me there. So I explained that Antoinette, our Centre Manager, had asked all our staff and volunteers to sign up to at least one of our activities. That way we can better explain to newcomers what our activities are all about. It can be a bit daunting to visit somewhere new for the first time, and we try hard to make newcomers feel welcome and at ease.
 
I was one of 2 people joining for the first time, and we soon got the hang of how the session runs. Barbara did a great job of calling the numbers – not too fast, not too slow. The group was so friendly, with lots of giggles and banter, and rounds of applause for those who called “House”, or “Bingo” or “That’ll Do” (… you had to be there!). Friendships have formed through attending the group – asking after one of the members who had been visited in hospital and everyone enjoying the chat after the session ended.
 
And great prizes ... I left with a bag of flour and some washing up liquid. Not bad for £1.
 
Lucy, HNG Chief Executive

Yesterday 20 of our volunteers, and tutors, made their way to the Stress Project for the annual Christmas Party. 

The night featured food, drinks and a very warm atmosphere. Neil sung and played traditional songs, while James told a few stories. There was also a little juggling - next year there are rumours that someone will do the Highland fling! 
 
A big thank you goes out to everyone who made it happen – but a bigger thank you goes out to our volunteers who make the charity what it is.
 
You can find out about our volunteering opportunities here and here. ​

This Sunday, 10 of our Old Fire Station elders performed a series of dance routines at a Sadlers Wells Elixir Festival! Amazing, huh, but how did they get there?
 
For the last 8 weeks our elders have been rehearsing with choreographers provided to us by Sadlers Wells. The choreographers, Bret & Fred, are from the dance troupe ‘Old Men Grooving’ – who appeared on Britain’s Got Talent no less – and they worked with our group on dance routines to four songs; ‘Hit the Road Jack’, ‘My Girl’, ‘The Locomotion’ and ‘Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot’
 
Finally, after 8 weeks of hard work, trying to remember steps and sequences, who should be on your right and left remembering when to do your slow Cleopatra or your hand jive - and remembering to smile as though you do this sort of thing every day, our ladies stepped out onto a dimmed stage with Bret and Fred.  The lights came up, the distinctive beat and the first notes of 'Hit the Road Jack' thrummed up across the auditorium and 10 arms and hands pointed at Fred telling him to ‘hit the road’.

The audience started to cheer and from then onwards it was a party on stage with the audience clapping and singing along. By the end of the evening proud sons, daughters and grandchildren who had come to watch
had seen their older relatives in a new light - as dancing divas. We are looking forwards to getting the official video and holding a special screening to celebrate.
 
A huge thank you goes out to Sadlers Wells Theatre who provided the choreographers – and of course to Bret & Fred who worked incredibly well with the group. Hopefully they will be back again!
 
In the meantime you can stay active and dance with our Mixed Gentle Exercise to music every Wednesday morning from 10.30am to 11.30am.
 
Antoinette.  

On Sunday 16th June three HNG staff & volunteers took a group of 16 elders for an afternoon of opera at Tower of London. The show was called ‘The Victorian Vignettes’ and featured well-loved pieces from Gilbert & Sullivan and Marie Lloyd. As you can imagine the setting was wonderful and the weather played it is part.

Following the opera the group were given the opportunity to explore the rest of the tower, including the Crown Jewels! The trip was highly enjoyed and it was wonderful that one of our renters, Eritrean Community UK, added 4 of its elder service users to our group.
 
We’ll have more trips throughout the year, so please pop in and ask what’s coming up.
 
Chelsey 

Men are often an under-represented group in Community Centre services - they are also traditionally less likely than women to have strong support networks, and most importantly are less likely to ask for help. To provide a specific space for men and to create more opportunities to reduce their social isolation in Islington we launched a Men's Social Group in November 2017.

Since its launch, the Group has gone from strength to strength and is growing all the time. The facilitator, Sahir (a qualifed counsellor), does a fantastic job of involving all members in decisions about the Group - including what music gets played on the stereo and deciding locations for trips out.

The Group meets every Wednesday, from 3pm to 5pm. All men, aged 55 or over are very welcome!

It would be great to see you there.
Daniel

Today is Time to Talk Day – a very important day in our calendar, as it’s about having conversations about mental health. Mental health problems affect one in four of us, yet people are still afraid to talk about it. 
 
In recognition of this important topic, Holloway Neighbourhood Group, representing both the Old Fire Station & Stress Project, is today attending the Winter Wellbeing Festival @ Islington Town Hall.
 
At the event we are hosting a participative creative activity, which is a taster of our Art for Wellbeing classes.
 
It will be a creative icebreaker and will involve people choosing from a selection of photos and words and combining them in any way they want on paper. They can then add colour and we will photograph them holding the result (only the hands will be in the photo). We’ll then put a series of these photos together after the event to make a larger piece of work.
 
This will run alongside information for our other wellbeing activities such as exercise classes, counselling & mindfulness.
 
The event is open from 12noon to 3pm and it would be great to see you there.
 
For more information on our wellbeing services please visit;
www.hng.org.uk & www.stressproject.org.uk 
 

Issue 2 of our newsletter is out now.

The issue leads with the Old Fire Station's 30th anniversary celebration.

Click on the picture to read the full issue.