Welcome

Morning, Finchley!

With the heat rolling on, this week is all about keeping cool: our lead finds five local splash spots to dive into, plus open-air theatre, a Camden college up for auction and a MasterChef champion.

Grab a cold drink and enjoy.

💦 5 Splash Spots To Beat The Heat

With the temperature climbing again, there is only one thing on everyone's mind: where can we get in the water?

The good news is you do not have to go far.

Here are 5 spots to cool off, starting right here in Finchley and fanning out from there.

1. Home turf first. The outdoor pool at Finchley Lido (N12) is a 25m sun-trap with a grassy lounging area, a snack hut for ice creams and cold drinks, and 50-minute sessions you book on the Better app. It runs weekends in term time and daily from 20 July to mid-September, weather permitting.

2. For younger ones, the free water-play area at Cherry Tree Wood in East Finchley, right opposite the tube, is a firm summer favourite. There is a playground, a cafe, and plenty of shade under the trees for when it all gets a bit much.

3. When the weather turns or you just want a guaranteed swim, Barnet Copthall in Hendon has three indoor pools, including a learner pool for little ones, plus a cafe. A short drive and open whatever the forecast.

4. Worth a short trip: Park Road Lido in Hornsey is one of London's largest heated lidos at 50m and, after an 8 million pound refurb, has smart new changing rooms and a cafe. Heated and open all year, so it is a safe bet whatever the weather.

5. For a proper day out, head to Hampstead Heath for the bracing stainless-steel Parliament Hill Lido or the wild Mixed, Men's and Ladies' bathing ponds. Sessions are bookable in summer, or tap in on the day. Prices nudged up this year, so check before you go.

Whichever you pick, take sun cream and water, and check the link for times before you set off, as outdoor pools can close at short notice in the heat.

Happy paddling, Finchley. 💦

Events

ARTS

Wednesday 15th July

​Pressed Flower and Candle Decorating | Wed, Jul. 15 | 10:00 am to 11:30 am | 9A High Street, Barnet, EN5 5UE | £20 | Create your own beautiful pressed flower candles while enjoying a coffee, tea and a sweet or savoury treat in a relaxed cafe setting.

COMMUNITY

Thursday 9th July

​Art and Mind at Edgware Library | Thu, Jul. 9 | 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm | Edgware Library, Hale Lane, Edgware, HA8 8NN | Free | A free art and mental health well-being session led by Hestia Barnet. After a brief introduction to their services there is an optional group discussion, an art activity and a guided mindfulness exercise. Refreshments provided.

Saturday 11th July

​In The Footsteps of the Famous in High Barnet: a Guided Walk | Sat, Jul. 11 | 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm | Meet at High Barnet Tube station | £15 | Royalty, Prime Ministers, Dickens, Trollope, Pepys, Kingsley Amis, John Betjeman, Spike Milligan, J.M.W. Turner, Wesley and Livingstone have all stayed or lived in the area over the past 500 years.

Sunday 12th July

​OmVed Gardens' Summer Open Day | Sun, Jul. 12 | 11:00 am to 3:00 pm | OmVed Gardens, Highgate | Free | Spend a summer's day at OmVed Gardens, wandering the gardens, exploring the Artist of the Month exhibition, joining a guided garden tour and enjoying something delicious from the kitchen. There are workshops for kids, seasonal treats and a rooftop garden to explore.

KIDS

Saturday 11th July

​Rain Stick Remix at Mill Hill Library | Sat, Jul. 11 | 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm | Mill Hill Library, Hartley Avenue, Mill Hill, NW7 2HX | Free | Step into the library studio and create your own rain-inspired beat. In this hands-on activity, you will build and decorate a rainstick, then experiment with different sounds to remix your own rain-track.

​Big Beat Playground - Summer Festival 2026 | Sat, Jul. 11 | 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm | Victoria Park, Finchley Central, N3 2NE | Pre-walking infants free, kids £9.50, adults £14.50 | A family-friendly dance music festival with a warm, welcoming and safe environment for children, young people and their families.

MUSIC

Saturday 11th July

​Townsfolk - A Community Song Cycle | Sat, Jul. 11 | 2:30 pm | Upstairs at the Gatehouse, N6 4BD | £16 | How long can one life last before it fades? Down a winding musical road, you will find the residents of a small town, each leading different lives and singing their separate stories.

Sunday 12th July

​Symphonic Wind Orchestra of North London | Sun, Jul. 12 | 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm | Parliament Hill Bandstand, NW5 1QR | Free | Enjoy free music on a Sunday afternoon at the Parliament Hill Bandstand, organised by the City of London. This classical and pop performance features the Symphonic Wind Orchestra of North London.

NATURE

Saturday 18th July

​Nature Ramble - Butterflies | Sat, Jul. 18 | 11:00 am to 12:30 pm | Parliament Hill | Free | Join a guided walk in partnership with Kentish Town City Farm to learn about the different species of butterfly that can be found on Hampstead Heath.

THEATRE

Sunday 12th July

​Treasure Island | Sun, Jul. 12 | 3:00 pm | The Bothy at Stephens House & Gardens, N3 3QE | £18.50 | Long John Silver and his crew of salty old sea dogs are weighing anchor in the Bothy Gardens with the pirate classic, Treasure Island. Packed with action, drama, sword fights and sea shanties from Island Quantum Theatre.

Events - Book Ahead

Saturday 1st August

​'Create' with Samme Snow | Sat, Aug. 1 | 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm | Pavilion, 145 Claremont Road, NW2 1FE | Free | London-based artist and illustrator Samme Snow helps you unleash a little creativity throughout August with his free series of relaxed workshops, Create. Drop in, explore your imaginative side and make your own artworks to take home in Neighbourhood Square.

Monday 3rd August

​Dreamcatcher Film Camp | Mon, Aug. 3 | 9:00 am to 2:00 pm | Mill Hill Senior Private School, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill Village, NW7 1QS | £285 | A film camp for boys and girls running Monday to Friday. Students learn to take a story from initial idea, through treatment and step outline, to a finished script for their final film, exploring structure, character and conflict.

Thursday 13th August

​Sewing 101 Workshop: Re-Style Your Old Saree | Thu, Aug. 13 | 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm | Edgware Library, Hale Lane, Edgware, HA8 8NN | Free | Learn the basics of sewing while giving new life to your old sarees. Create a beautiful scarf or a simple skirt in this beginner-friendly session.

Local Lowdown

Closing

• The Big Fair barely packs up before the drills arrive. Hampstead's Heath Street, from East Heath Road to New End, will close for eight weeks from Monday while Thames Water replaces the water mains, and Camden says it will try to keep disruption to a minimum.

Meadowing

• Fancy turning a patch, pot or balcony into a buzzing haven for bees? Barnet residents can sign up for free wildflower seeds and join the Finchley Pollinator Project's push to plant 600 mini meadows in 60 days, sowing in September and October.

Upgrading

• Brent's leisure centres are in line for a workout of their own. The council's Cabinet has approved a £3.25m upgrade for Vale Farm and Willesden Sports Centre, modernising gyms, studios and fitness spaces, including a women's only gym, with the centres staying open throughout the works.

Lending

• After a 2023 blaze tore through a North Finchley terrace, the council is stepping in to help. Barnet will loan eligible homeowners up to £30,000 for fire safety upgrades, having set aside £1.67m and identified hundreds of freehold and council homes built to a similar risky design.

Auctioning

• A slice of Bloomsbury history is going under the hammer. The Grade II listed former Mary Ward Centre in Queen Square is up for auction at £7.5m or more, pitched as a possible medical facility in Camden's Knowledge Quarter after housing adult education colleges for over a century. Worth leaving Finchley for.

The Finchleyite: Jhané Gibson

​

MasterChef champion Jhané Gibson has revealed how her grandmother inspired the dish that moved judge Anna Haugh to tears.

The 30-year-old, who grew up in Islington and now lives in Harlesden, won the 2026 series with a menu celebrating her Jamaican heritage and London upbringing.

Her finale included fried snapper, piri piri poussin and a ginger rum cake with Chantilly cream, inspired by her 95-year-old grandmother, Elithia.

Gibson said her grandmother, who came to London from Jamaica during the Windrush era, taught her to cook.

After leaving her career in technology, Gibson is planning supper clubs and pop-ups. Her long-term ambition is to open a London pub and community space focused on bold flavours, generous portions and bringing people together.

Editors' Note - From Tessa

Another sad footballing day in the Davis Family as Australia go out of the World Cup on penalties. Our combined nationalities of Irish, Scottish, and Australian have made for a lacklustre World Cup experience.

Hopefully, by the time this gets published, England will be through to the quarter-finals.

Also, let us know about local events or local news. We curate our content to keep it a 5-minute read, so can't include everything we're sent.

You can now get a guaranteed (paid) listing for local events or local lowdown/news items.

​And email us with any projects or ideas you'd like us to write about.

Tessa Davis Sasha Frieze