February highlights

A Heartfelt Farewell

We were saddened by the passing of our Sports Secretary on February 8th at Barnet Hospital. The final ritual was held on February 22nd.

Community Clean-up

On the morning of 22nd February, over 30 people gathered at Montrose Park to collect litter. We were accompanied by the Friends of Watling group, the MP, the newly elected councillor, and the councillor for the Burnt Oak ward.

Fundraising Success: Team MASALA & Nepali Language Cultural Centre (NLCC)

The BONC is committed to its cultural preservation and takes pride in the Language classes that are run by NLCC at the centre. This month the NLCC collaborated with Team MASALA from QE Boys to support the Wings of Hope Charity. In just a few hours, they raised £938 - Brownie points to anyone who can guess what MASALA stands for!

Music: Sarangi Performances and Training

Music classes continue to grow, with several sarangis (Nepali violins) ordered from Nepal to support the programme and tagada training is progressing well. The prospect of forming a BONC cultural band should be an inspiring thought for the future.

A dedicated cultural steward, guided by a passionate mentor of folk instruments and enthusiastic participants - who knows, perhaps the team could even embark on nationwide tours one day.

Football: The beginning of something great.
On the 22nd, the football tournament began with a two-minute silence, with five teams participating. Congratulations to Burnt Oak Football Club for their success. After the friendly competition, players made their way to the Sajha Ghar. They were treated to refreshments and awarded trophies by the chairman.

Wednesday Meals: Introducing Momo

This month, the usual soup and roll lunch was replaced with momo (Nepali dumplings), which proved very popular, particularly among senior citizens. The plan is to rotate the menu regularly to offer more variety.

Health & Well-Being: Snowball into something bigger

This month marked the launch of CPR training with participation from executive teams. Additionally, the regular classes, include:

Health MOT (Blood Pressure & Blood Sugar Tests) | Weekly Yoga & other fitness

Business as usual: The quieter you are, the more you hear.

Sahaja Yoga, art classes, and other activities continue quietly. Ping pong, carrom board, and chess also carry on smoothly and run effortlessly.

Banner Competition

A banner competition was organised to make  the great work we’ve been doing visible to passers-by on the main road, encouraging them to take advantage of our free activities. The winner will be announced next week and awarded a £50 Amazon voucher.

Looking Ahead

Coordinating outreach efforts, engaging community members effectively, managing the day-to-day operations and its costs are indeed challenging.

Addressing loneliness remains a primary goal. At least 40% of our efforts should be dedicated to fostering social inclusion in and around the Burnt Oak area.

We welcome new ideas on how to better serve the community. If you have an initiative that aligns with our aims, the community hall is available for use, with potential funding opportunities to support projects. Discussions are ongoing with the Burnt Oak Partnership Board, the Residents of Burnt Oak Association, and Barnet Inclusion.

A big thank you to all the volunteers who continue to contribute their time and effort.

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