Following the lifting of the latest lockdown, Fellowship House is again open for a restricted programme. We will be closed again from 18th December until 11th January for the normal end of year shutdown. Thereafter, the restricted programme will continue. The situation will be closely monitored to see when we can start to include more activities. Vaccines are on the way so definitely a lot of light at the end of the tunnel. But . . . . how long is the tunnel? Patience is a virtue!
Nichola Brown puts her Zumba class through its paces for the last time for now. Oh dear. Barely three weeks after re-opening, Boris has forced another lockdown upon us. From November 5th, we’ll be closed until early December apart from the twice weekly Chiropody sessions. We’ll be back with more information about another reopening in due course. In the meantime, we retain a ‘Covid Safe’ building and the experience necessary to get going again as soon as we are allowed.
Nichola will be going onto Zoom in the meantime. If you think Zumba might be your thing, give her a call on 07516 560380
At long last, a glimmer of good news on the reopening of Fellowship House . . . . . Read More
There have been some Committee changes whilst Fellowship has been closed. John Mathias decided some months ago to step down from being Chairman after 5 years in service. John has accepted the Committee’s invitation to stay on the Committee in an ‘elder statesman’ role. Keith Ellis understandably feels that 6 years as Treasurer is a sufficient whack in this busy role and will also stand down. The Committee is most grateful to both John and Keith for their tireless service and guidance. Andrew Botterill will take over the combined roles (Chairman immediately and Treasurer in November). A new Treasurer will be sought in 2021.
As glimmers of light now begin to appear, the only question on everyone’s lips concerning Fellowship is . . . . when will normal service be resumed? The answer is of course . . . we don’t know. We obviously have to follow Government rules and official guidelines. When these show a green light, the Management Committee will then decide on exactly how and when we’ll open, taking into consideration our view of all Health & Safety aspects relating to staff, volunteers and users of Fellowship House. We were the first Suburb institution to announce closure and we’ll exercise similar caution on the way out. The opening date will not be before 1st August and it is likely that some activities will open later than others. Be assured however that the Committee is eager for a return to normality as soon as possible and we will keep you fully informed of progress towards the sunny uplands when we can welcome you back.
Fellowship House will remain closed and all its activities suspended until at least 31st May. We will have further news on this next month (May). This is of course sad news but unfortunately we have no choice but to follow Government rules. The Management Committee has taken steps to see that all Fellowship Members are provided for and certain members of the Committee are making regular phone calls to keep in touch especially with those living on their own. Do get in touch should you have any problems we can help with. Fellowship has made a sizeable donation from its reserves to Age UK Barnet a local charity helping older people in N2 and NW11, a larger area than just the Suburb and has also taken steps to ensure that those working for and with Fellowship are not exposed to financial hardship whilst the Covid-19 emergency lasts.
We hope that Suburb residents are not encountering insurmountable problems in their self isolation measures.
If you do have problems, please let us know and we’ll do our best to co-ordinate help for you or any neighbours you know who are not part of the Fellowship community.
To contact us use the general Fellowship email address: [email protected]
To find out if Fellowship has any more news, do check this page which we will continue to update.
The Fellowship Management Committee has taken the unanimous decision in view of the Corona Virus outbreak to suspend all activities and close Fellowship House as from next Sunday evening 15th March. The situation will be reviewed in early April. We’re of course very sorry indeed about this but feel that it’s better to act prudently, particularly in view of the fact that Fellowship House is used mainly by the over 60s for non urgent purposes. If this is seen later to have been an overreaction, well, we’ll just have to put up with a bit of egg on our faces. Should you have any questions, please address them to your usual contact at Fellowship House or email [email protected] In the meantime, check this page for further news about the closure.
When this thing has passed, we’ll look forward to opening our doors again and welcoming everyone back, hale and hearty.