Welcome

This week we're in celebrity overdrive with 5 people who live... a stones' throw from Finchley.

​

And a cool new community cafe project for us all to support, The Finch.

🏛 5 Hampstead Hotshot Home Owners

​

1: Harry Styles​
Hampstead’s most famous modern resident, Harry Styles, began buying homes there in 2012 — and now owns a mini-compound of neighbouring houses. Far from hiding away, he’s often seen pedalling a Lime bike around the Heath or plunging into the men’s ponds. Lately, he’s been on a self-declared “croissant hunt,” surely testing Karma Bread’s credentials.

​

2: Dua Lipa​
North London through and through, Dua Lipa attended Parliament Hill School, overlooking Hampstead Heath. She now owns a Victorian mansion in West Hampstead, complete with plans for an underground pool and library. A devoted reader, she curates literary picks for her Service95 platform — recently interviewing Margaret Atwood — making her as Hampstead-bookish as she is glamorous.

​

3: Rita Ora & Taika Waititi​
​Rita Ora has traded Notting Hill gloss for Hampstead chic, calling her new neighbourhood “so bougie.” She and husband Taika Waititi settled there in 2022 and promptly caused a small planning-permission stir over their proposed garden gym. Still, Ora hasn’t entirely left W11 behind — she’s often spotted at The Cow or Dorian.

​

4: Alastair Campbell​
A true Heath regular, Alastair Campbell has lived in Hampstead for over 30 years and is rarely seen without his dog on the park’s trails. The former spin doctor turned podcaster swims year-round at the Parliament Hill Lido — even when the water dips below freezing — proving he’s as tough as his political reputation.

​

5: Daniel Craig & Rachel Weisz

And down the road in Primrose Hill, live Daniel Craig and wife actor Rachel Weisz. The power couple live in a Grade-II listed, 1840s four-storey home in the Primrose Hill conservation area. A great relief that they finally got planning permission for install security gates.

Events

ARTS

Friday 7th November

artsdepot 20th Anniversary Exhibition | Fri, Nov. 07 | 10:00 am | artsdepot, 5 Nether Street, N12 0GA | Free | In the late 90s, as a new millennium approached and hopes for the future ran high, a bold idea took root: to create a major new arts venue in Barnet. In 2004 the plan was realised, and artsdepot opened its doors for the first time. This exhibition reflects on 20 years of artsdepot’s story – told through its culture, its people, and the moments that have shaped it.

​

​

COMMUNITY

Thursday 6th November

Peri/Menopause Masterclass & Q&A | Thu, Nov. 6 | 7:15 pm to 8:00 pm | In8 Space, Lambert Way, N12 9EP | Free | Join us for helpful medical and nutrition and lifestyle tips for anyone on the menopause journey. Expert Q&A with Dr. Dhavale and Debbie Myers-Anderson.

​

Sunday 9th November

MHSA Fireworks | Sun, Nov. 09 | 4:00 pm | Moss Hall Junior school, Nether Street, N3 1NR | £7 PP | Moss Hall Schools Association presents fireworks night with music by DJ Ramos, including hot food, mulled wine, hot chocolate and tuck shop treats.

​

Tuesday 11th November

Community Crime-Fighting: Islington | Tue, Nov. 11 | 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm | London Metropolitan University, 166-220 Holloway Road, N7 8DB | Free | Join your policing team and the Met Police senior leadership to hear about crime-fighting in Islington. Policing is most successful when built on a foundation of working in neighbourhoods.

​

​

THEATRE

Thursday 13th November

Stephen K Amos: Now We're Talking! | Thu, Nov. 13 | 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm | artsdepot | Tickets from £21 | How good’s a laugh? Stephen K Amos' joke book is overflowing, so let’s get talking about what gives him the ick and what makes him tick.

​

​

KIDS

Sunday 9th November

Brent Cross Town Free Halloween Trail | Sun, Nov. 09 | Claremont Park, NW2 1AJ | Free | The nights are drawing in and the ghosts are coming out. It’s spooky season, so head to Claremont Park and follow our Halloween trail to test how much you know about Frankenstein, bats, witches and much more.

​

Friday 14th November

Groove Together: Family Dance and Movement | Fri, Nov. 14 | 10:00 am to 10:45 am | artsdepot, 5 Nether Street, N12 0GA | £10 | We know it can be tough to find time for yourself when you’re juggling busy schedules and caring for your little one – that’s why this Family Dance and Movement class is the perfect solution. It’s a fun, active way for you to stay fit, be creative, and connect with your child.

​

Friday 21st November

Neverland At Kenwood | Fri, Nov. 21 | 4:30 pm to 9:00 pm | Kenwood House, NW3 7JR | £18 children, £28 adults | This Christmas step into a story filled with imagination and spectacle. Follow Tinkerbell on an unforgettable journey to a place of magic, imagination and adventure. Neverland at Kenwood 2025 invites you to leave the ordinary behind and follow the stars through an enchanting new outdoor light trail like no other.

​

​

SPORTS

Thursday 13th November

Yoga by Hampstead Heath & South End Green | Thu, Nov. 13 | 6:45 pm to 7:45 pm | Royal Free Rec Club, Fleet Road, NW3 2QG | £10 | Move, breathe, and relax with a welcoming local yoga group in South End Green.

​

​

NATURE

Wednesday 12th November

The Orchard Project | Wed, Nov. 12 | 10:30 am to 12:30 pm | The Green Wellbeing Hub Mays Lane, EN5 2AG | Free | Join the free, hands-on Nature & Wellbeing Workshop Series and help create a brand-new Community Orchard — a beautiful space where people, wildlife, and wellbeing can flourish.

Events - Book Ahead

Saturday 13th December

Winter Lights – Stephens House & Gardens | Sat, Dec. 13 | 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm | Stephens House & Gardens, N3 3QE | £6.50 | Come and take Christmassy walk around the lit up gardens.

​

Monday 15th December

Christmas Concert and Singalong | Mon, Dec. 15 | 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm | The Ann Owens Centre - Age UK Barnet Oak Lane, N2 8LT | Celebrate the festive season at Age UK Barnet. There'll be musical performances, a singalong, mince pies and nibbles, a glass or two of hot spiced apple juice, a tombola, a puzzle stall and a chance to buy Christmas cards designed by Age UK Barnet's art group. Just email or call 07502989403.

​

Saturday 20th December

Christmas with Spike | Sat, Dec. 20 | The Lodge at Stephens House & Gardens,N3 3QE | £20 | Join Spike's daughters Jane and Sile, for a special festive journey around Spike's private archive. With personal stories and recollections this is an intimate small group experience. Multiple slots - booking essential.

Local Lowdown

Connecting

• Cables are coming. Openreach engineers are rolling out full fibre broadband across North London, including Finchley, High Barnet, and Crouch End. The “once-in-a-generation” upgrade promises gigabit speeds and rock-solid reliability. Expect to see more hard hats and high-vis jackets soon - and much faster Wi-Fi once the dust settles.

Beaming

• Sunshine state of mind. Crouch End just landed the crown for one of the happiest spots in the UK for 2025. It made the top 75 thanks to its leafy streets, stellar pubs and schools, and a serious sense of home. Average property price is £728,915 though...

Draining

• Friary Park gets a splashy upgrade. Barnet Council has finished its £500,000 flood-busting makeover, adding new wetlands and ponds to soak up excess rain. The revamped Blacketts Brook can now flow freely through the park’s soil again - less flooding, more frog hangouts. Nature’s plumbing at work.

Activating

• Get moving with a FAB twist. The free Fit and Active Barnet Card gives residents discounts on sports, swimming, and community activities across all five leisure centres. Carers and care-experienced residents get extra perks, like free swims anytime. Sign up online or pop into your local centre. Fitness made easy.

Decluttering

• Goodbye, bulky junk. Barnet’s community skip service lets you ditch up to three big household items for free every three months. New dates and locations have gone live so check them out here.

The Finchleyite: Support Finch Cafe

There’s a new community coffee shop brewing. And you can help bring “Finch” to life!

​
Local resident Jenny Rainsford – who played Boo in Fleabag - is raising funds to create a new non-profit concept for East Finchley, offering premium coffee and employment pathways for young people.

​
​Find out more and donate to the crowdfunder. Jenny’s over half way there, and this is a brilliant community initiative.

Finch is a new non-profit community café in East Finchley, founded by Jenny in memory of her father, a lifelong educator.

By day, Finch will serve premium coffee and pastries while training over 40 young people a year in barista skills, providing references and job connections. By night, it will host workshops - art, writing, AI, chess, and more - with at least 10 sessions monthly, including four led by young people. The space will also be available for community hire.

Finch seeks start-up funding, local skills, and ideas to bring this youth-focused, community-driven project to life. Insta. Donate here.

Editors' Note - From Sasha

Had a wonderful birthday celebration last week - friends, family, theatre. OMG The Producers is both edgy and hysterical.

Best was this cool hand-crafted card from my teenage son.

​

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