Barnet Eye Advent calendar - 24th December - Merry Xmas from the Barnet Eye

So our journey to Christmas is nearly complete. I do hope you've enjoyed a few of the treats we've given you about our neighbourhood. I also sincerely hope one or two of you have been generous enough to decide to give some of your time or money to some of the great organisations we've covered.

Today, our little treat comes from Hendon on Sea!!!! The start of the powerboat season at the Welsh Harp. I must say I love this video, shot in 1932, it shows the fun side of the age. I do hope you have as much fun this Christmas as the people in this little film have. 

It's been real fun for me putting this series together in the advent season! These clips really bring home just how much our neighbourhood has changed over the last century.


 
As an aside, if you are interested in The Welsh Harp, then please follow The Welsh Harp Conservation group on Twitter, who are dedicated to preserving the beauty and the habitat of the Welsh Harp. 

And so onto todays featured Charity. I specifically have been saving this one till today. 

2,000 years ago today (according to tradition), a young woman was heavily pregnant. She didn't have the option of a hospital, pain relief or even a whiff of happy gas. As an unmarried mother, she would have been shunned by the untra orthadox society she lived in. She would have had little support. Now whatever you believe about the story of the birth of Jesus and whether Mary really was a virgin, there is one thing you can be sure of. If you are about to give birth today, things are better than they were for Mary! Mary would have had no choice in the matter of a natural child birth. Luckily for my family, when Mrs T (my wife, not the former Prime Minister) was giving birth, she was well prepared. We had attended sessions organised by Barnet NCT, which meant that we were as well prepared as we could be for the experience. 

So on Christmas Eve, there really could be no other charity to feature. If you are embarking on the journey that is pregnancy and childbirth, I'd strongly recommend checking out National Childbirth Trust AKA NCT - http://www.nct.org.uk/branches/barnet - whilst our children are now teenagers, we still are in contact with friends we made in the group. The Xmas cards we received were a nice reminder of those classes. 

NCT in Barnet are looking for volunteers to help build up their branch. This is whats on their website. I sincerely hope some of you out there are able to assist. I can personally vouch for the benefits of attending NCT sessions as can my wiser half.

Our active branch is run by an enthusiastic team of parents who volunteer their time in order to provide invaluable support, services and social events to our local parenthood community.

Keep connected with NCT Barnet Join our Facebook page to keep updated https://www.facebook.com/NCTBarnetbranch


It only really remains for us at The Barnet Eye to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. My band, the False Dots don't have any Xmas Carols in our reportoire, however we have a lovely song which is every evocative of this time of year, so why not pour a sherry, sit back for two minutes and have a listen on me. Have a great day!

Barnet Eye Advent calendar - 24th December

So our journey to Christmas is nearly complete. I do hope you've enjoyed a few of the treats we've given you about our neighbourhood. I also sincerely hope one or two of you have been generous enough to decide to give some of your time or money to some of the great organisations we've covered.

Today, our little treat comes from Hendon on Sea!!!! The start of the powerboat season at the Welsh Harp. I must say I love this video, shot in 1932, it shows the fun side of the age. I do hope you have as much fun this Christmas as the people in this little film have.

And so onto todays featured Charity. 2,000 years ago today (according to tradition), a young woman was heavily pregnant. She didn't have the option of a hospital, pain relief or even a whiff of happy gas. As an unmarried mother, she would have been shunned by the untra orthadox society she lived in. She would have had little support. Now whatever you believe about the story of the birth of Jesus and whether Mary really was a virgin, there is one thing you can be sure of. If you are about to give birth today, things are better than they were for Mary! Mary would have had no choice in the matter of a natural child birth. Luckily for my family, when Mrs T (my wife, not the former Prime Minister) was giving birth, she was well prepared. We had attended sessions organised by Barnet NCT, which meant that we were as well prepared as we could be for the experience. So on Christmas Eve, there really could be no other charity to feature. If you are embarking on the journey that is pregnancy and childbirth, I'd strongly recommend checking out NCT - http://www.nct.org.uk/branches/barnet - whilst our children are now teenagers, we still are in contact with friends we made in the group.

They say: 

NCT wants all parents to have an experience of pregnancy, birth and early parenthood that enriches their lives and gives them confidence in being a parent.

Our charitable purpose:

- We offer information and support in pregnancy, childbirth and early parenthood.

- We campaign to improve maternity care and ensure better services and facilities for new parents.

- We aim to give every parent the chance to make informed choices.

- We want to make sure that everyone has access to our services and activities.

Company Overview

NCT is the UK's leading charity for parents. Every year we support thousands of people through the incredible life changing experience of pregnancy, birth and early parenthood. Learn more about who we are. Becoming a parent is a life-enhancing experience, but it can also be challenging and sometimes stressful. We are here to help you through this transition, offering relevant information, reassurance and mutual support

Description

Supporting you to be the parent you want to be 

Keep connected with NCT Barnet Join our Facebook page to keep updated https://www.facebook.com/NCTBarnetbranch

,

West Hendon and the Welsh Harp - Barnets hidden gems

 This Saturday sees the 80th Anniversary of the devastating bomb that fell on West Hendon in 1941. We have prepared a very special blog, with a reflection by Rev Roy Hutchinson, vicar of St Johns at West Hendon to commemorate the event. There would normally be a service to mark the event, but clearly that is impossible this year, so please check in. 

If you saw this weeks 'Tweets of the Week' you will have seen a rather excellent tweet featuring West Hendon Playing fields at Cool Oak Lane. 

West Hendon Playing Fields yesterday! A stunning photograph taken by @branleyboy pic.twitter.com/SZnlbCPEsZ

— Silver Jubilee Park (@JubileeSilver) January 25, 2021

I know these well. As a schoolboy at Orange Hill School, these were our football pitches. It was a schlep down the Edgware Road to Cool Oak Lane. I used to love football, but in weather like this, the bitter wind buzzinga cross the Welsh Harp would freeze you to your soul. When I left, I ended up playing football for Hendon School Old Boys, so would have the odd nostalgic trip to the ground to play their old boys, always getting stick and banter for my defection (all good natured). The reason I played for Hendon was the convenience of the fact that their home pitches and clubhouse were in Pursley Road, Mill Hill, so it was far more convenient. The site is now Powerleague, so my association continues.

I always felt it strange that the London Borough's of Barnet and Brent didn't make more of the Welsh Harp. It is a truly amazing habitat. One of my members of staff used to have a house backing on to the lake. He was forced out by the development and with the pittance he received, could only afford a place in Cornwall. For him, having grown up next to water, that was absolutely key to him. What Barnet Council did to the residents of the West Hendon Estate was truly disgusting. I was inspired by the Tweet to watch the film that the BBC showed in 2019,detailing the plight of residents. I watched this at the time, but I was too close to it all to really appreciate it. Now I see just how appalling their treatment was. Please watch this film.

What shocks me about this is that the developers made a fortune out of this. They could have accomodated all of the residents and treated everyone fairly and still made a hell of a lot of money. The then Leader of the council talked about 'building communities', but there was already a community there. This was destroyed by the development. 

The neglect of the Welsh Harp is appalling. This was highlighted by MyLondon News this week

Secret London beauty spot used by Olympic rowers that's now a dumping ground. Poor Welsh Harp Reservoir 🥺#CleanTheHarphttps://t.co/g79uQyQA2I

— Elizabeth Harper (@Archivist_Liz) February 7, 2021

It is good to see the Friends of the Welsh Harp taking positive action to help, but we need a proper plan from the council to ensure that this beauty spot receives the love and care it deserves

You awesome people have already filled 400 bags. Can we get to 500?

COLLECT: https://t.co/D4DqsFDaVC

PICK: https://t.co/UyaDZv95QY

RECORD: https://t.co/wlRkdOKQQb pic.twitter.com/kg5nRJeECJ

— Friends of the Welsh Harp (@welshharpies) February 8, 2021

This is a wildlife haven, so lets, as a community, make sure that this important nautre reserve is not let go to rack and ruin

.

Meet the great crested grebe (and grebettes) 😍 who loves to love in the Welsh Harp.
Another reason to #cleantheharp pic.twitter.com/Tln0OYKhLn

— Friends of the Welsh Harp (@welshharpies) February 5, 2021

 

Back in 2013, we featured the T.S Broadsword Sea Cadets based at the Welsh Harp in one of our blogs. Such groups are vital for our young people. I could not be more impressed with the work they did. The great worj they do is recognised by the Young Barnet foundation, I hope that they can get through the current crisis.

Member: Training Ship Broadsword (Sea Cadets)#AtoZofYBFmembers
Celebrating our members delivering great youth work, activities, opportunities & services to children & young people across #Barnet #InvestConnectGrow #BarnetTogether pic.twitter.com/VDdMCFz0Xo

— Young Barnet Fdn. #NeverMoreNeeded (@Young_Barnet) June 28, 2019

The Barnet Eye Advent Calendar - Thursday 11th December

Today is the 11th Day of Advent. Today we look at the Welsh Harp. Here is a video from 1928 featuring the Duchess of York. The Welsh Harp is the jewel in the crown of Barnet, area of open water, home to much wildlife, sea cadets, sailing clubs and nature lovers!




Today our charity is the Welsh Harp Conservation group. It does what it says on the tin! If you love our locality, that is all you need to know
http://www.brentres.com/

This is what their website says

The Brent reservoir, or 'Welsh Harp' as it is more commonly known, is situated on the borders of the London boroughs of Brent and Barnet. The site is frequently considered for development, and the need for a body dedicated to preserving its current status as a SSSI and an important breeding site for wildfowl has been demonstrated with alarming frequency.

The Welsh Harp Conservation Group (WHCG) was formed in 1972, and works in close liaison with both Brent and Barnet councils. It was formed to protect the area, not only as a habitat for a variety of birdlife and rare species of flora, but in the interests of public recreation.

Captain Useless - A blog on the ocean waves

A couple of people have asked me why I call Matthew Offord "Captain Useless". Well all can be revealed. Knowing I've done a bit of sailing in my time and that various siblings of mine own boats of various sizes and shapes, a well meaning Tory suggested I should have a chat with Matthew Offord, as he does a bit of sailing. I jokingly replied "With old Captain Useless at the helm, we'd probably hit an Iceberg and sink, even if we were in the Welsh Harp".

Imagine my joy to read in the Barnet Tory Bugle, sorry the Edgware Times, that they've given the good Captain his own sailing blog. Now when I read this, I was actually quite excited. Before the children were born, I did quite a lot of sailing. Many notable and amusing things happened on various trips. Probably the funniest was when we sailed from the Hamble to Alderney, in the Channel Islands in 1991. We set off for Cherbourg, but due to wind & tides, diverted to Alderney. I'd taken along my Russian brother in law as extra crew. Whilst he had a visa for France and Great Britain, he didn't have one for Alderney. He was rather worried by this. In Russia, minor transit infringements are costly and time consuming. All my reassurance that nothing would happen could not calm him. As we arrived at Alderney, his worst fears were realised as the impressive German wartime battlements loomed into view. Igor is from the Russian naval port of Kaliningrad, so he could spot a well defended naval installation a mile off. I suspect he feared I'd landed him in a secret British Gulag for hooking up with my sister. When we arrived, he insisted on going to the customs post, to throw himself at the mercy of the officers (I'd said this was not necessary, but he didn't believe me). When we arrived, it was 4.55pm. I went with him, to make sure he didn't get into any scrapes. I explained that we'd been headed to Cherbourg, but the wind/tide had taken us to Alderney. The crusty old customs man sternly looked at Igor and exclaimed - "Come back in ten minutes". Igor replied "Why". The officer replied "Because I knock off in 5 and I'm going for a drink and there will be no one here". Igor said "What about the paperwork?" The officer replied "That's why I'm going to the pub". End of story. Igor must have liked it as they bought a boat and sailed it back to Kaliningrad.

I was rather hoping for a few such tales in Matthews blog. Unfortunately all we got was that he felt ill sailing to Cherbourg and that it will help him be a "great leader". I'm going to make a bargain here with Matthew. Give us a few salty tales, don't spend the whole blog telling us how marvellous you are and give us some indication that you have a love of the sea rather than just indulging in a character building exercise, and the I won't mercilessly rib you for writing such a load of old tosh.

It would also be nice to see a bit in the blog about local sailing such as at the Welsh Harp, given Matthews professed love of the sport. Excuse my cynicism, but it looks to me as if this blog is just an attempt to make our Captain more appealing to the voters of Hendon, if we get a few decent tales, I'll post a blog saying I'd got him wrong.