Harringay online

Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

This from Stroud Green Residents' Association (Wish I could say it's from the Harringay Residents' Association........or any association in Harringay come to that):

Put 26th April in your diaries! The day when SGRA residents will be strolling around the area, chatting with friends and neighbours, drinking Ts and coffees, buying assorted goodies from street stalls, talking to our community police and learning about Fairtrade at Holy Trinity on the Green.

So, to recap, Saturday, April 26th, 2-4.30pm is NEIGHBOURHOOD DAY!

Please come and take part in the events happening around Mountview Road, Stapleton Hall Road, Granville Road and the roads inbetween (Albany, Addington, Quernmore and part of Oakfield).

On each of these roads residents will be setting up stalls and offering an eclectic array of items for sale. Stalls include children's toys and clothes, a re-use and recycle stall, book stalls, pottery, plants, bric-a-brac, fairtrade goodies, home-made cakes, jigsaw puzzles and more.

Refreshments will be available in Stroud Green Library on Stapleton Hall Road and at Holy Trinity Church on Granville Road which will open its doors to residents for the event.

In addition to the stalls events include a storytelling session for children at the Library at 3pm and Haringey Adult Learning Service will also be there, telling people about the part-time and evening courses available across the Borough. Guided tours around the Granville Road Spinney will take place at 2.15pm and 3.45pm and the Safer Neighbourhoods Police Team will also be on the Spinney, offering help and advice.

Other information stalls will include details of the Residents Association, library services and local religious organisations.

Some of the stalls will be donating any monies raised to good causes.

So there will be lots going on - but the main point of the event is to get people out and about and saying 'hello' to their neighbours and finding out about what is on offer locally.

EVERYONE WELCOME. PLEASE BRING A FRIEND(S).

Look out for a coloured information leaflet with trail map which will drop through your letterbox in the next few days.

Tags for Forum Posts: local ideas, residentsassociation, sgra, stroudgreen

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You would think that we could come up with something, obviously not on this scale but a small step towards encouraging a more neighbour friendly environment.
Three streets so far have formed groups, Hewitt, Seymour and Warham creating a pool of 32 members. Perhaps we could have a virtual brain storm to come up with something?? Maybe the group creaters could send a message to their groups members?
Perhaps we need to encourage more people in our streets to join the website but I doubt if anyone would want to go knocking on doors or posting fliers that cost money to print, but I thought we could nail a poster to a tree or two in our street with the website address on? Of course this excludes people that don't have access to the internet like the elderly which is a problem because I think its this group that could really benifit from connecting with their neighbours. In terms of what we could do I'm thinking small and simple like I dont know say hello to your neighbour day? At the book club the other night someone suggested having a stall at Sainsburys advertising the website, but perhaps we could set up a stall in our streets, near the passage perhaps, say hello to those walking up and down and let them know about the website? Having fliers to give away will cost money so I dont know how we could get around that one? Talking face to face with our neighbours especially the elderly would be a nicer, warmer way to make connections. Dont you think? Of course its nuffink like wot those lot in Stroud Green have come up with but it could be a start.
Ruthe, good lateral thinking.

Starting with the site promotion, setting up on the passage around school-run time sounds like a great idea. Notwithstanding the cost of flyers, I'm not convinced they have much pulling power. Last summer I tried a few roads with very little effect. What does work is talking to people, as you suggest.

One approach may be to "survey" people, which could be done anywhere. "I'm doing a very short survey to see how many local residents are aware of the local website" (or whatever chat comes most naturally). A yes, I'm aware can be moved on from or may offer some interesting feedback. A No, never heard gives an opportunity for a two-minute elevator outline of the site + the site address - simply "harringayonline.com" will find us now (not even any need of the www as of Thursday last week) or "Just Google Harringay (2 rs + -ay) and you'll find the site at no 4 or 5". I'm sure that'll be much more effective than leafleting. I could also prepare some visuals - a couple of A4 sheets - which could be used during the elevator outline.

I can also do some tree posters - hadn't thought of that.

How do we take this forward Ruthe?

With regards to a step-by-step approach to creating a stronger sense of neighbourhood, I think you're right. I guess then we need to be clear on what the objective of getting people together is, craft the message, then get it out. H,S & W roads may be a good place to start. (For some reason the central Ladder roads - those three + Allison & Beresford - have a noticeably higher number of members than elsewhere.)
Adam has good contact email lists and Fairfax rd always has good street parties in the open space each year. I believe he has also been thinking about a more ladder wide party for this year. Might be a good idea if you contact Mr Coffman.
yes, good question, what is the objective of getting people together???
I suppose the initial objective of having a stall in the street would be to promote the website and actually talk to our neighbours. I like the idea of a few visuals (we could put one up in the Salisbury on their notice board and a few trees). We could blow up a few balloons and write the website address on them. (give them to passing kids) I'm sure some mums & dads in the street have a cubboardfull of emergency balloons they could donate.
So why should they join the website? Find out if they would actually want a street party in the first place, its not everyones cupoftea. Fairfax road seem to have established good neighbourly relations and have a history of parties, I think it would be too much for the likes of us on Seymour Rd to organise a party with a street that hardly knows each other at this stage. If we could get more people to join the Seymour rd group first for example, and establish a few friendly connections. An open question to get people talking could be
Would you like a street party?
I think a really attractive thing about the website is the practical and useful potential like the trades people group. Even if people join the site but never log on or dont participate much, atleast they know the website is there for them to use should they need it in the future. People can use it to set up thier own groups of interest for example I'd been looking very half heartedly for a local book group to join but couldnt find one convenient to me, the thought of organising one myself didnt appeal but this website made it the easiest thing the world. Takes literally seconds to create a group on the website. By the end of the day I think I had 4 members, a few weeks later we have 14!! This site can make things happen be it big or small.
Ruth, you're abolutely right. We don't know enough people to even know if it will work yet. A party with 6 or 7 of us would be a bit sad...
re. the objective, I would have thought it would be for neighbours to get to know each other. Not necessarily for socialising - that could be an added bonus - but it's always nice to get at least a friendly nod when you walk past, isn't it? And it could also potentially prevent crime - you will have an idea of who lives where, and if you know someone's away you can always keep an eye on the house when you walk past.
With regards to the logistics of a party - Fairfax has the open space which makes it a lot easier to have a party. Not quite sure how we whold manage on Seymour.

Could we do a Ladder party in the open space? With a bit of door to door effort from a few of us we could spread the word, and if would be a great way to tell people about the web-site at the same time.
yes I agree, it would be so nice to be able to walk down our own street and be able to say hello to a few faces and even address them by their name. Its a small thing yet like you say could reduce crime or atleast the fear of it. The Seymour street group that you created is a major step in the right direction, and we've gained a few more members lately. And having attended the recent social in the salisbury I now know you by face and Martha. I'm sure theres more people that would join if they knew the website existed. Perhaps having a stall in the street is not practical but we could put up posters on the railings at the entrance to the passage and if two or more of us were willing to stand around for a few hours saying hello to nieghbours and introducing ourselves and the website we might gain a few more members and find out if a street party would be welcome. It would be pretty amazing if Seymour road actually had our very own street party wouldnt it? Something I would have thought unthinkable up until now. The next 'problem' if we decide on a street party is who and how are we going to organise it?? I'm willing to get involved as long as there are others but have no idea how you go about it.
:-) Agree.
I'm happy to do some web-site PR on our road, but it has to be a week-end. You want to join me?
When a street party was held on Hewitt Road a couple of years ago, the couple who ran the residents' association - my former next door neighbours - got the council to close the road to traffic for the day. We all brought out chairs and so on from our houses! I'm sure people on Seymour Road could do the same if they wanted...
Sounds great - might pick your brains about your party at some stage if that's OK?

I think I heard that party, actually.. :D
Sure - I wasn't an organiser, though, just a partygoer. I thought people would mutiny at having to move their parked cars, but actually everyone was really good humoured about it. I like the idea of a ladder-wide party too...
Yes Falkland Rd did this as well. It's not too difficult. There's a council form to fill in, a fee to pay and you have to arrange for road closed signs yourself, but the council can give you a phone number of a roads contractor.
Yes I'll join you. Do you think a Saturday afternoon would be best? We could catch people that are normally at work during the week. Preferably on a nice warm-ish day! Hugh said he would make some prints..

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