Harringay online

Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Just been reading about the Crouch End AA fair on the Haringey website. I reproduce the text below:

"There was something for everyone to get their teeth into at the Crouch End Area Assembly Fair in Priory Park last week.

Residents were treated to a host of activities and information sessions provided in tents and on stalls by Haringey Council, Circle 33 Housing Trust, NHS Haringey, Spurs, the Olympic Pod, the Youth Service and the Jobcentre.

NHS Community health services provided youngsters and their parents with information on cleaning teeth and foot care, along with a range of information on healthy living.

Local people also got the chance to sign up for volunteer work at the Olympics and for training sessions with the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation.

Young people also took to the stage, performing lyrics they had written over the summer at a youth programme organised by Circle 33. Several young people also signed up for help with finding a job through the Haringey Guarantee.

Cllr Lyn Weber, Chair of the Crouch End Area Assembly, said:

"The Health Assembly theme came from talking with residents about various health issues. It is also very topical with changes to local health services in the near future. I am delighted that the Olympic Pod came to our area and for the support once again from Spurs.

"Thank you to our partners Circle Anglia, NHS Haringey and Spurs for financial and physical support, together we can achieve so much more"

At the Area Assembly meeting itself, which took place alongside the fair, residents gained information about local health services and the West Haringey Patients’ Panel. Circle 33 residents discussed the management of their homes with representatives of the housing association which, along with the London Development Agency, largely funded the event.

Duncan Stround of Haringey NHS said:

"It was great to see so many local people at the event, many of whom were very interested in finding out how best to look after their own health."

Sussan Rassoulie, community development partnership manager for Circle 33 Housing Trust said:

“It has been a great opportunity for us to work so closely with Haringey Council and other local providers; this partnership work will really benefit our residents. It was good to see and talk to many of our residents at the event, where they could get information on how to secure exciting jobs or volunteer work at the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.” "

Quite a contrast to 19 people in a school hall on a Tuesday night, eh? I have asked before why we can't do this kind of thing, especially now we have Fairland Park as well as Chestnuts to hold such events in...I'm still waiting for a good explanation. It does seem that the Chair of the Crouch End AA appears to be driving this from the press release.
Could we perhaps expect our own Chair to push forward something similar here in Harringay and St Ann's wards? If not, why not?

Tags for Forum Posts: area assembly, area forum

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Over to you Gina.

I'll bring my tooth brush, dentifix and extendible nail clippers.

I'm sure Fairland Park's acoustics are better than our late Victorian school hall - though I'd guess that a dozen or so joe goldbergs, and half a dozen of our other well padded reps, placed strategically around the walls and hung from the ceiling would mask all those echoing hard surfaces.
A dozen Joe Goldbergs? Aaaaargh!!
Indeed, OAE, "over to you Gina". I think I will need to drop her a line about this and see if such events are in the pipeline for us H&SAs residents.

If it was held in and around Chestnuts Community Centre and Park on a Saturday pm, I'm sure we could even double the attendance at the Powerpoint presentations residents forum. If it was held at the time when people have to vote for Making the Difference bids (which is the only time, I've ever seen a big turnout at AA, sorry was that a trace of cynicism creeping in, I'll stop it at once) we might make triple figures!
Hmmm, here's something to stop me dead in my Area Assembly envy:


Which suggests to me that even if you add razmatazz, the basic model of the AA doesn't appeal to the majority of people in the Borough. What would bring people to the democracy party, I wonder?
The trouble is, once you make the effort to go to one it's an even bigger effort to go again. They need complete rebranding for a start.
Oh I agree, John, but rebranding them and then recreating the same stultifying content won't get people in. They are 'reviewing' the whole Area Assembly format so we were told by Cllr Canver so it will be interesting to see what they come up considering we spent an evening making suggestions but I wonder whether we were just re-arranging the chairs on the Titanic (to coin an old but very apt phrase).
I wonder if we invited Joe Ratzinger instead of Joe Goldberg. And Peter Tatchell to play Mario?
I have not done the research but it is probably all about demographics. Crouch End (CE)has quite a high number of residents who work in the media ....ever wondered why so many films, TV programmes and magazine articles feature Crouch End? ....because CE is full of media types. Also, there are many arty/crafty types working from home with loads of spare time on their hands. Then there are the CE mums, those with the push-chairs the size of a wheel-barrow who, after their coffee mornings in one of the twenty coffee shops, need to do their bit of COW (community orientated work). This may not be the total answer to the question but I hope it helps.

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