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.
The Management Committee is pleased to announce that it has been joined by Lorna Jones. Lorna, an ex teacher and long term Suburb resident, will take over from Gill Read the task of organising transport by car to and from Fellowship House on Tuesday afternoons for those Members who need this facility. She can be reached on 07891-112365.
. . . . they’re getting younger every day.
The Management Committee wishes all Suburb residents a very Happy New Year!
Fellowship House is reopening after its New Year shutdown. The first Tuesday talk of 2020 is at 2.30pm on January 7th and is by Suburb resident Professor Michael Baum whose work features in the first art exhibition of the year in the Eileen Whelan Room. The forward Talks programme can be found here : ‘Weekly Talks’. The New Year Party takes place on January 14th (Members with reservations only).
If you’re not a Fellowship Member already, it’s well worth joining. Go to: ‘Join’
If you’re interested in hiring one of the spaces for a private event, whether it’s for a children’s party or a wedding anniversary dinner or something in between, we’d love to hear from you. Further info at: ‘Hire’
It is with great sadness that we record the death of David Cohen on August 4th last. David had a successful career as a doctor and was a philanthropist of international importance specialising in the Arts and Education. He was a great supporter of Fellowship and everything it embodies and all will remember his gentle good humour. We were honoured by his presence on the Management Committee where his incisive wisdom provided an invaluable guide to our deliberations.