Welcome

This week, we celebrate the local legends who were in the New Year's Honours list.

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And we look ahead to the Light and Flight Festival.

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🎖️ 9 Locals on the King's Honours Roll

Finchley Now is all about community, and we’re delighted to celebrate local and local-ish people honoured in the New Years Honours List 2026.

Highgate resident, actress, comedian and writer Meera Syal has been given a damehood. Best known for her work writing for and starring in British Asian comedies Goodness Gracious Me and The Kumars at No 42, she has been recognised for her services to literature, drama and charity.

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Actor Idris Elba OBE has been knighted for services to Young People in recognition of his charity work at the Elba Hope Foundation, which supports community empowerment, education, youth advocacy and sustainable development.

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Belsize Park oral historian Dr Bea Lewkowicz has been appointed OBE for her work preserving Holocaust survivor and Jewish refugee testimonies. As co-founder and project director of the Association of Jewish Refugees’ Refugee Voices archive, she has built an audio-visual record for education and remembrance for future generations.

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​Royal Free Charity chairJudy Dewinter has received an MBE for services to the NHS. A former stockbroker diagnosed with myeloma at 33, she became a patient advocate, led Myeloma UK and steered charity fundraising for research, equipment and patient-and-staff support across north London.

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Local resident Professor Polina Bayvel of UCL Electronic and Electrical Engineering has been awarded a damehood, recognising her leadership and long-standing impact in optical communications research.

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Judith Lesley Charlesworth, formerly Chair of the Barnet Special Education Trust, London, was recognised for her significant contributions to education, specifically through her leadership in special needs education in the Barnet area.

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Localish resident Michael Mail, founder and executive director of the Foundation for Jewish Heritage, was awarded an MBEfor services to heritage and charity.

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Hampstead’s University College School alumnus and V&A director Dr Tristram Hunt has been knighted for services to Museums. He has led the museum since February 2017, after serving as Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central (2010–17), and is also a historian and broadcaster.

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North London resident Dr Carol Ann Homden - Chief Executive of Coram, the UK's first children's charity – was awarded a CBE for services to children and families. “Her mission is that all children, particularly the most vulnerable, should thrive. In this, she personifies the principles of Thomas Coram, who founded the charity 300 years ago.”

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Not a complete list – let us know who we missed. And congratulations to all! 🎖️

Events

ARTS

Wednesday 14th January

​Origami with Ada at Chipping Barnet Library | Wed, Jan. 14 | 10:30 am to 12:00 pm | 3 Stapylton Road, EN5 4QT | Free | Learn the art of paper craft in this origami workshop hosted by Ada Chung.

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Thursday 22nd January

​Michael Palin's trip to Venezuela | Thu, Jan. 22 | 7:00 pm | 10 Keats Grove, NW3 2RN | £15 | Legendary traveller, actor and author Michael Palin will talk about his trip to the beautiful but dangerous country of Venezuela.

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Saturday 24th January

​Airfix Model Club | Sat, Jan. 24 | 1:00 pm | RAF Museum London Grahame Park Way, NW9 5LL | £5 | Spitfires, Mustangs, Messerschmits, and Hurricanes build them all at the RAF Museum’s Airfix Model Club.

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Saturday 31st January

​Brent Cross Town Monthly Book Club | Sat, Jan. 31 | 11:00 am to 12:00 pm | Spruce & Larch Café, Brent Cross Town, Visitor Pavilion, 145 Claremont Road, NW2 1FE | Free | Make 2026 the year you get back into reading and come along to the launch of the Brent Cross Book Club in January. This will be an inclusive space for everyone, no matter if you’re a regular reader or you haven’t picked up a book in years.

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COMMUNITY

Saturday 10th January

Litter Pick | 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm | Heath Info Hut, Highgate Road, NW5 1QY | Free | Join us for a Saturday afternoon litter pick. All welcome and all equipment provided. Meet at 12:00 pm at the Heath Info Hut (the former Tennis Bookings Hut), Hampstead Heath, near the Parliament Hill tennis courts - no need to book.

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Sunday 18th January

The Battle Of Barnet: A Guided Walk | Sun, Jan. 18 | 11:00 am to 1:00 pm | Meet at junction of Great North Rd and Hadley Green Rd EN5 5PP. | £15, £5 under 12s | Step back in time and explore the famous battlefield from the Wars of the Roses (1471). With Paul Baker, City of London guide. Email Paul.

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Saturday 24th January

​Burns Night Supper | Sat, Jan. 24 | 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm | Stephens House & Gardens, N3 3QE | £30 | Celebrate Burns Night in the historic setting of Avenue House, with our all-inclusive menu of Scottish Vegetable Broth, Haggis Neeps & Tatties, Whiskey Bread & Butter Pudding, followed by Coffee and Shortbread.

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Saturday 24th January

​Wild about Hampstead Heath - Big Birdwatch | Sat, Jan. 24 | 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm | Bird Sanctuary Pond, Hampstead Heath | Free | Join our Wildlife Interpreters near Hampstead Heath’s bird feeders for an identification session to mark the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch - now scheduled for 11:00 am - 1:00 pm due to rain forecast in the afternoon.

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​Mozart Requiem Revisited | Sat, Jan. 24 | 10:00 am to 5:00 pm | Trinity Church, 15 Nether Street, N12 7NN | From £10 | A choral workshop hosted by Finchley Chamber Choir, led by Lloyd Buck. We’ll be exploring the Mozart Requiem – not the familiar version completed by Franz Süssmayr, but the alternative completion by eminent American musicologist Robert D Levin, which gives a new perspective on how Mozart may have intended the piece to sound.

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KIDS

Tuesday 6th January

​Baby/Toddler Group – Christ Church School | Tue, Jan. 06 | 10:00 am to 11:00 am | Christ Church CE Primary School & Nursery, Byng Road, High Barnet | Free | A free playgroup which meets every Tuesday in the school hall from 10:00 am - 11:00 am, which has been made possible through National Lottery Funding.

Events - Book Ahead

Saturday 31st January

​Free Monthly Kids Bike Ride & Repairs | Sat, Jan. 31 | 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm | Clitterhouse Farm Project | Free | Free bike ride and repair club, last Saturday of every month at Clitterhouse Farm.

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Tuesday 24th February

​Comedy Night At The Silent movies: Safety Last! | Tue, Feb. 24 | 6:00 pm to 7:45 pm | St Mary-at-Finchley Parish Church | Free (retiring collection for St Mary-at-Finchley) Church and Churchyard Appeal) | Enjoy the comic genius of legendary silent filmstar Harold Lloyd, brought to life with the excitement of improvised music played by organist Darius Battiwalla on the 2-manual Willis pipe organ.

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Saturday 28th February

​Songs, Laughs and Guitar Heroes | Sat, Feb. 28 | 7:30 pm to | The Bull Theatre, EN55SJ | £17.75 | A lighthearted evening of legendary guitar solos, classic songs and fun anecdotes - performed with a live band and hosted by guitarist Darren Loveday, who featured with Shakin' Stevens and Katrina & The Waves, as he shares memories of meeting his guitar heroes.

Local Lowdown

Baking

• Loaves of love. Britain’s Best Bakeries guide is out, and Finchley rises with pride. Margot on East End Road made the cut for its tangy sourdough babka. Author Milly Kenny-Ryder shines a light on bakeries “worth a detour.” This local loaf legend shows that it’s dough-ing just fine in the spotlight.

Chartering

• Big win for learners. United Colleges Group, which includes the College of North West London’s campuses at Willesden, Wembley Park, and Euston Skills Centre, has joined the UK’s only chartered body for technical and professional education. The honour recognises its standout teaching, leadership and impact on London’s diverse students.

Borrowing

• Bookworms on pause. Chipping Barnet Library will stay closed until Tuesday, 13 January, while they fix electrical issues. Keep your loans at home until then, with no fines piling up. Extra staffed hours at North Finchley and Osidge libraries aim to pick up the slack, so check their timetables.

Reflecting

• Barnet’s big thank you. In his New Year message, Council Leader Barry Rawlings thanked residents, volunteers, and public servants for their hard work in 2025. He highlighted achievements like tackling the cost-of-living crisis, fixing roads, boosting safety, and building homes. He also kept hope alive for a brighter, more caring 2026.

Projecting

• ​Odeon Camden will close on Tuesday, 24 February 2026. This marks the end as the cinema shuts down for a big redevelopment of the site and the nearby Mecca Bingo. They plan to turn it into a mixed-use complex.

Barnet Light & Flight Festival 2026

2026 heralds a year-long programme of arts and heritage projects in the borough of Barnet.

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This looks like it will culminate in a multi-day festival in November 2026 – the Light & Flight Festival, celebrating Barnet’s crucial role in the development of aviation.

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With support from Arts Council England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and in collaboration with the RAF Museum and artsdepot, it appears that there will be art commissions as well as a series of events.

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artsdepot launched a commission for the creation of a new / redeveloped performance/theatre piece on the theme of Light and Flight, to be staged at artsdepot’s Pentland Theatre in Barnet on 22 November 2026 - deadline 26 January.

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Barnet Council are also seeking an artist/design for a borough-wide touring multimedia installation on the same theme – deadline today.

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This is all a stepping stone to a future Borough of Culture bid – a chance to showcase Barnet’s creativity, unite communities, and put Barnet on London’s cultural map.

Editors' Note - From Tessa

Have had the pleasure of having Davis Child #1 back from her gap year for 10 days.

An absolute joy to have the whole family together.

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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.

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

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

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Tessa Davis Sasha Frieze