We have, for the first time in what seems like years, been blessed with a warm, sunny summer. I spent the last weekend at the Palmers Green Festival in Enfield, an opportunity to try to get Headway North London into the public conscious whilst they are more interested in cool drinks, ice cream and fairground rides. Not an easy sell.
But the good weather has allowed Headway North London to hold its summer picnic as planned, outside, on a balmy evening in beautiful Waterlow Park, Highgate. It's a fitting venue for the charity, the park itself being a charitable donation for Londoners by Sir Sydney Waterlow in the late 19th Century.
The annual August event is always a welcome change from the usual monthly Third Wednesday meeting that it replaces - not because no-one enjoys the usual monthly social and the guest speaker that normally entertains - but because of the opportunity to breathe the outdoor air and meet old friends and new in a more relaxed, informal manner in the joyous gardens.
The picnic began at 6.30, and this year had the theme, 'With The Beatles' to celebrate 50 years since Beatlemania. Those attending, which included clients, trustees and friends, were invited to come dressed in a Beatles-ish manner, and whilst some touchingly obliged, no-one - as far as I'm aware - was mistaken by passers-by for a young Ringo Starr. But it was more about the getting together to celebrate the first half of the Headway year, in which Headway North London has sought to find new opportunities and new avenues for its services and meetings.
Though the possibility of a light drizzle threatened in the early stages, it passed and the three hours glided by in a haze of laughter and gentle conversation, with over twenty people contributing to the throng. The event raised £150 for the charity, and as the light dwindled towards the end of the evening, people drifted back home with some warm memories.
The regular Third Wednesday meetings resume on September 18, at the Crossfield Centre in South Hampstead. The speaker will be announced on the Headway North London website in due course.
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