Welcome

Happy Easter! In advance; we've got Easter-goodies galore to help you plan the long weekend and a pensions guru Finchleyite for you this morning.

And chag kasher v'same'ach a happy Passover, to our Jewish readers. The first seder - celebratory meal - is on Wednesday night, have fun - and enjoy the matzah.

🐣The Ultimate Finchley Easter Guide

Whether you celebrate or not, the Easter long weekend starts on Friday. we’ve curated a list of local activities and an easy Easter recipe.

Family & Community

The RSPCA East Finchley Shop is hosting an Easter Fun Day on Thursday, 2nd April, from 12 pm to 4 pm at 160 High Road, N2 9AS, featuring an Easter egg hunt, seed planting, and egg decorating. The event supports local animal welfare, offering in-store bargains and refreshments.

Eggs-cellent Easter Craft at North Finchley library. A fun-filled Easter craft event. Tuesday, 15th Apr 2025 3:00pm - 4:00pm at North Finchley Library, Ravensdale Avenue N12 9HP. Suitable for children aged 5+. A ticket is required for each child only - accompanying adults don’t need a ticket.

Dining & Social

​The Five Bells (165-167 East End Road, N2 0LZ): Offering Easter Sunday roasts, themed cocktails, and meals, particularly around the April 2026 bank holiday weekend.

​The Kings of Prussia (363 Regents Park Road, N3 1DH): Hosting a Sunday, 5th April 2026 celebration with a special Lamb Roast and kids' Easter activities.

Religious Services

​St Mary at Finchley: Holy Week & Easter Services from 29th March – 5th April 2026.

​Roman Catholic Parish of Finchley Church End: Services including Palm Sunday procession (9:30 am), Mass of the Lord’s Supper (Holy Thursday), Solemn Liturgy (Good Friday), and Easter Vigil.

​East Finchley Methodist Church: Special services scheduled for Lent and Easter.

Charity & Support

​Easter Bonnet Parade, Sunday 5 April at St Mary-at-Finchley at the end of the 10am service. Raising funds for the CCYA appeal.

​The Young Barnet Foundation 2026 Easter Campaign closed for donations – easter eggs and books – last week, but how cool.

Baking

And if you fancy making Felicity Cloake’s Easter Chocolate Nests recipe – here it is in the Guardian. (looks delicious and easy). 🐣

Events

ARTS

Friday 3rd April

​Harrow Open Studios at the Greenhill Pod | Fri, Apr. 03 | 12:00 pm | Greenhill Market Place, Greenhill Place, HA1 2EB | Free | A show of local artists' work in the Pod. Each week will see the pod transformed by different artists who all belong to Harrow Open Studios. The exhibition will be free to view at any time throughout April and May. It will start with the work of Nicole Lyster, a ceramic artist.

KIDS

Monday 30th March

​World Builders | Mon, Mar. 30 | Barnet and Southgate College, Barnet Campus, EN5 4AZ | £199 | Easter Games Design Course (Ages 12–17). Looking for a creative, educational, and inspiring way for your child to spend the Easter holidays? The World Builders Course at Barnet and Southgate College offers young people aged 12–17 the opportunity to explore the exciting world of game design and digital creativity in a structured, supportive learning environment.

Tuesday 31st March

​Sisters 360 | Tue, Mar. 31 | 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm | artsdepot, N12 0GA | Tickets from £13.75 | A funny, heartfelt and high-energy play for 8-12 year olds that celebrates skateboarding, sisterhood and staying proud.

Saturday 4th April

​Young Actors Theatre Islington - Open Day | Sat, Apr. 04 | 10:00 am to 1:00 pm | Barnsbury Road N1 | Free | On Saturday 4th April, Young Actors Theatre Islington are throwing open doors and inviting young people aged 4 to 13 to come and try any of our classes for free. ...and if you sign up for next term, you'll get a 15% discount.

COMMUNITY

Wednesday 1st April

​Know Thy Neighbour | Wed, Apr. 1 | 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm | The Chapel Market Tavern, 58 Penton St, N1 9PZ | £10 | London can be lonely. You can live somewhere for years and still not really know anyone on your street. So I decided to host a small event where people can actually meet each other — in a 200-year-old pub in Islington, with conversation prompt cards to get things going. No awkwardness, no pressure. It's kinda like speed-friending for locals.

Sunday 5th April

The Battle of Barnet: an Anniversary Guided Walk | Sun, Apr. 5 | 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm | Meet at the junction of the Great North Rd and Hadley Green Rd, EN5 5PP. | £15, £5 under 12s | An anniversary tour of one of the most famous battlefields in English history (Wars of the Roses 1471). The walk also takes place on April 14th at 11:00 am. Email Paul.

SPORT

Tuesday 31st March

​LiFT CIC Football Sessions | Tue, Mar. 31 | 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm | Powerleague Mill Hill. 31 Pursley Road, Mill Hill, NW7 2BB | Ready to Kick Off Something Awesome? Join LiFT CIC’s football sessions - where it’s not just about goals on the pitch, but goals in life too. Get stronger, feel better, and learn how to bounce back from life’s challenges like a champ.

Sunday 5th April

​The One in the Park - Regent's The One in the Park - Regent's | Sun, Apr. 05 | 9:00 am to 11:30 am | The Broad Walk NW1 4RY | £26 | Regent's Park is the perfect setting for a fast and traffic-free Sunday morning 10k. The course covers an accurately measured 10k route wholly within the park and attracts runners of all abilities.

NATURE

Monday 30th March

​Spring Nature Trail 2026 | Mon, Mar. 30 | Visitor Pavillion, Brent Cross Town, NW2 1FE | Free | When you know where to look, you can spot all sorts of perky plants and curious creatures returning to Brent Cross Town now that winter has melted away Pick up a map from the Visitor Pavilion, choose your favourite coloured pencils, and set off on a mini adventure to discover more about the plants and animals we share our park with. Once you’ve found them all, head back to the Visitor Pavilion to collect your reward.

Saturday 4th April

​Highgate Wood - Birds And Their Song Guided Walk | Sat, Apr. 04 | 9:00 am to 10:00 am | Highgate Wood | Free | Learn all about the birds of Highgate Wood and their song, led by knowledgeable Highgate Wood staff and volunteers.

Events - Book Ahead

Sunday 19th April

​OmVed Gardens Open Gardens Fundraiser for the North London Hospice | Sun, Apr. 19 | 11:00 am to 3:00 pm | OmVed Gardens | £10 Donation | OmVed Gardens is hosting a fundraiser as part of the North London Hospice Open Garden Days scheme. The day will be a chance to wander through the gardens and relax with a cup of chai and a slice of cake, all while supporting the vital work of our neighbour, North London Hospice, for our community. Explore the gardens at your own pace, or join one of our guided tours with one of our gardeners.

Thursday 23rd April

​Sip & Paint Night | Thu, Apr. 23 | 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm | The Bohemia, 762-764 High Road, N12 9QH | £38.62 | First drink included, guided paint session with no experience needed.

Saturday 2nd May

​International Women's Day | Sat, May. 02 | 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm | Barchester - Magnolia Court Care Home, 181 Granville Road, NW2 2LH | Free | Join for an inspiring afternoon with two remarkable women: Helen Newman, CEO of Age UK Barnet, and Professor Catherine Loveday, psychologist and leading expert in memory loss.

Local Lowdown

Greening

• Barnet's got a new bus shelter on Cricklewood Lane - and it's got plants on top. The "living roof" design, covered in sedum, was a resident's winning idea from the BarNET ZERO Challenge. It absorbs rainwater, boosts biodiversity and filters air pollution. Could be a model worth spreading.

Electing

• Five young local residents have been chosen as Youth Parliament Members and Youth Ambassadors for 2026-28, following elections across ten local schools with 4,330 votes cast. Joseph Kennedy, Melika Bennett and Samia Bharmal join as MPs; Avi Aggarwal and Safiyah Uddin as Ambassadors. The results were announced at Hendon Town Hall.

Reconnecting

• Sanders Lane in Mill Hill has reopened after three years, following the demolition of a structurally unsafe bridge - originally built in 1880 - and its replacement with a new lower-level footpath. The route restores a direct link to Mill Hill East station, with new lighting, bird boxes and more planting to follow.

Pedestrianising

• Camden High Street's 18-month pedestrianisation trial, launched in May 2025, is showing early signs of improved safety and vibrancy. Part of a £22 million investment in walking and cycling infrastructure, the scheme sits alongside 25km of segregated cycle lanes borough-wide. A public consultation on permanent proposals is due later this year.

Collecting

• Barnet's weekly food waste collections resume from today, led by a newly named vehicle - "Barnetta The Bincredible" - chosen from 472 resident entries. Every Barnet household can now use their brown bin for food waste only. Collected waste will be converted into fertiliser and electricity at an anaerobic facility.

The Finchleyite: Ros Altmann

Finchley has long been home to one of Britain’s most influential campaigners for pension justice. Ros Altmann, Baroness Altmann, CBE, is a North London economist and peer.

Her work has changed life for thousands.

Best known for leading the landmark “pensionstheft” campaign, she helped win redress for workers who lost retirement savings when company schemes collapsed and played a key role in the creation of the Pension Protection Fund.

She also fought for Equitable Life policyholders, challenged unfair rises to women’s state pension age, and pushed for reforms to the annuities market. A former Pensions Minister, Altmann has built a career spanning finance, academia and public policy, always championing older people, savers and ordinary families.

She was appointed CBE in the 2014 Birthday Honours for services to pensioners and pension provision. She has also received two honorary doctorates from the University of Westminster and Newcastle University.

Editors' Note - From Tessa

Got outside my comfort zone and ran with other humans for the first time last week.

​This Woman Runs is a great women's running group in Muswell Hill / East Finchley. It meets every Sunday at 0800 in Highgate Wood for a 30-minute run.

They were all very welcoming, supportive, and cater to all abilities (even mine).

Highly recommend. You can find them on Instagram.

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