Welcome

This week the sun is out and the Kings Birthday Honours List is in. Here's a first-look at four phenomenal women plus a bonus take-no-prisoners suffragist Finchleyite.

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Congrats to all our local community-minded volunteers. And this is just the tip of the iceberg - wait till we've researched the rest of the list.

🏅Four Finchley Honours from the King

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The King’s Birthday Honours are out – a right royal shout-out for some top local names. Here’s a quick look.

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Finchley local Dr Paula Cowan was awarded an MBE for services to Holocaust Education and Remembrance.

Dr Cowan, Reader in Education at the University of the West of Scotland, is a leading figure in Holocaust education. She directs Vision Schools Scotland and is active in national and international Holocaust remembrance initiatives. Her work includes museum collaborations, resource development, and co-authoring key texts such as Understanding and Teaching Holocaust Education. In 2015, she received CiCeA’s Outstanding Achievement Award for her contributions to Holocaust and citizenship education.

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​Cheryl Ferner-Reeves was awarded an MBE for services to Young People and the community in North Finchley.

Cherly is the Founder of New Horizons, an inclusive theatre company dedicated to working with young adults and based at artsdepot in Tally Ho.

Cheryl has 34 years’ experience in performance and directing. Passionate about inclusion, she works with young adults, including those with learning disabilities, to create accessible, inspiring theatre. As a Performing Arts Lecturer for 15 years, she launched the BTEC course for Supported Learning at Barnet and Southgate College, earning several awards.

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Victoria Miller was awarded an MBE for services to the community in Chipping Barnet.

Victoria, a foodbank organiser, home cultivation champion, and town leader has been the Manager of the Chipping Barnet Food Bank since 2012. She also received one of Barnet’s 2024 Civic Awards for Outstanding Contribution to the Community.

The Chipping Barnet Foodbank provides emergency food and support to local people in crisis. They are part of a nationwide network of foodbanks, supported by The Trussell Trust.

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Agnes Slocombe was awarded an MBE for services to the community in the London Borough of Barnet.

Agnes, a Community Leader at Barnet African Caribbean Association Insta, was born in Barbados and arrived in the UK in her 20s as part of the Windrush generation.

Agnes was the first Black female Mayor of Barnet and served her community until 2018. Barnet African Caribbean Association (BACA) is a registered charity providing welcoming day services for older adults in Barnet.

Congrats to you all. Many more of Finchley’s finest got a nod from the King – watch this space for a fuller list. 🏅

Events

OLDER PEOPLE

Tuesday 17th June

Drag Bingo | Tue, Jun. 17 | 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm | Ann Owens Centre, Oak Lane, N2 8LT | £10 | Age UK's Pride Month event celebrating pride in Barnets Older LGBTQ+ Community. There'll be prizes, refreshments, and a bar. | Contact Teresa on 07502 989 403 or email.

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COMMUNITY

Tuesday 17th June

​Union Chapel Celebrates LGBTQIA+ History with Art & Music for Pride Month | Tue, Jun. 17 | 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm | Union Chapel,19b Compton Terrace, N1 2UN | Free | Union Chapel is celebrating London LGBTQIA+ trailblazers and heritage during Pride Monthwith Rainbow Streets: Then and Next, an exhibition of student artworks inspired by Islington's queer history.

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Wednesday 18th June

​Camden and Islington Summer 25 Volunteering Fair | Wed, Jun. 18 | 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm | 5 Judd Street, WC1H 9JE | Free | Join the Camden & Islington Summer Volunteering Fair to...discover local volunteering roles, gain valuable skills, meet inspiring people, boost your wellbeing, Make a real impact in your community.

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Friday 20th June

​Colindale Barnet Folk Club presents Odette Michell | Fri, Jun. 20 | 7:45 pm | The Bull Theatre, EN5 5SJ | £7 | Odette Michell is an award-winning British singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose sound is deeply routed in the English Folk Tradition. Her 2019 debut album "The Wildest Rose" was met with critical acclaim, making several of the end of year best lists.

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Saturday 21st June

​Repair Cafe 2025 | Sat, Jun. 21 | 10:00 am to 12:00 pm | Wesley Hall, 9 Stapylton Road, Spires Car Park | Free | The Repair Cafe is open for the third month in a row offering repairs to bikes, electrical goods, jewellery, clothing and much more.

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Sunday 22nd June

​Barnet Windrush Day | Sun, Jun. 22 | 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm | Hendon Library, The Burroughs, NW4 4BQ | Free | Barnet Windrush day is a free community event celebrating windrush heritage through film, craft and conversation.

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Barnet Churches and Pubs, The Sacred and the Profane: a Guided Walk | Sun, Jun. 22 | 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm | Meet outside High Barnet tube station, EN5 5JY. | £15, £5 under 12s | Explore 900 years of the history of where the people of Barnet have worshipped …. and made merry. With Paul Baker, City of London guide. Email.

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THEATRE

Sunday 22nd June

​Open Air Theatre Summer 2025 - Midsummer Nights Dream | Sun, Jun. 22 | 3:00 pm | Stephens House and Gardens, N3 3QE | £18 | Shakespeare’s classic comedy of love and intrigue, magic and mayhem, is brought to life by family favourites Quantum Theatre in their wonderfully funny and exuberant production.

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MUSIC

Sunday 22nd June

​Jazz In The Park | Sun, Jun. 22 | 2:00 pm | Stationers Park, Mayfield Rd, N8 9LP | Free | Live Music Concerts to Stationers Park return with the Bakelites and Graham Pike Big Band. A return to Hornsey after a 20 year hiatus.

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ART

Sunday 22nd June

​Art Fair | Sun, Jun. 22 | 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm | Keats House Garden, 10 Keats Grove, NW3 2RR | Free | Art to see, art to buy, demonstrations, workshops and children’s activities, those prepared to get their hands dirty and unleash the inner artist. Celebrity Chef Ottolenghi to open the Art Fair. Plus fine wine, artisan food, including ice cream, and handmade produce from local artisan.

Events - Book Ahead

Saturday 21st June

​Hampstead Summer Festival Art Street | Sat, Jun. 21 | 9:00 am to 8:00 pm | Keats Community Library,10A Keats Grove, NW3 2RR | Free | Come and see amazing canvasses created by local artists and schools to celebrate Hampstead Summer Festival.

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Saturday 12th July

​Big Beat Playground - Summer Festival 2025 | Sat, Jul. 12 | 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm | Our Yard, Clitterhouse Farm, Clitterhouse Playing Fields, Claremont Road, NW2 1AP | Pre-walking infants - free; Child - £7.50; Adult - £14.50 £14.50 | It's a family friendly dance music festival with a warm, welcoming and safe environment for children, young people and their families and very much community focussed.

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Thursday 24th July

​Sip N Paint | Thu, Jul. 24 | 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm | Arnos Arms Pub, 338 Bowes Rd, Arnos Grove, N11 1AN | £30 | Expect brushes, booze & banter – plus your first drink is on the house! No experience needed, just good vibes and creative fun.

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Local Lowdown

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Growing

• Blooming brilliance. Joshua Fenton's award-winning C6 Container Garden has found its forever home at Noah's Ark Children's Hospice. The silver-gilt medal winner from this year's RHS Chelsea Flower Show has created a peaceful sanctuary. They use carbon-capturing methods and plant wildlife-friendly species.

Fueling

• Charging ahead. Barnet Council's electric revolution begins with 1,000 new on-street charge points rolling out. The first 500 arrive within three months, with another 500 following over three years. Great for residents who park on the street and lack home chargers. Barnet now has a total of 2,500 charging stations.

Building

• Camden takes control. The council used special legal powers to take temporary ownership of the O2 Masterplan site in West Hampstead. This major redevelopment off Finchley Road will deliver up to 1,800 new homes plus a community centre, cinema, gym, and tree-lined park.

Training

• Vintage vibes. Step back in time this July 11-13th with rare rides on a fully restored 1938 Art Deco Underground train. The Piccadilly Medley heritage journeys depart from Cockfosters and other stations, celebrating TfL's 25th anniversary and Railway 200. Book your nostalgic trip through transport history now. Worth leaving Finchley.

Relaxing*

• Rest & Restore. Experience deep rest and nervous system reset with Emra Sound Healing. Small group and 1:1 sound bath sessions using crystal and Tibetan bowls, held in a calming Finchley studio. A gentle, grounding way to restore balance.

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*sponsored content

The Finchleyite: Mary Macarthur

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​Mary Reid Anderson (née Macarthur, 1880–1921) was a pioneering Scottish trade unionist and suffragist who championed universal suffrage and workers' rights and lived in Golders Green.

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She founded the National Federation of Women Workers in 1906 to represent women in unorganised trades and played a key role in the Anti-Sweating League and campaigns for fair wages.

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Macarthur famously led the Cradley Heath women chainmakers in their victorious 1910 strike and was pivotal in the 1911 Bermondsey Uprising. Opposing limited suffrage, she clashed with mainstream groups and advocated full enfranchisement for working-class women. Though unsuccessful in her 1918 parliamentary run, she helped shape postwar labour reforms and fought for women’s employment rights.

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She died of cancer in 1921, aged 40, leaving a legacy of tireless activism for gender and labour equality. There is a blue plaque on her house at 42 Woodstock Road, Golders Green.

Editors' Note - From Tessa

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This week will bring the end of A Levels in the Davis household.

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Solidarity with all families experiencing exams right now.

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We are all almost there!

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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