NW9+ 60 Age Hub
What began in 2022 with just three people in our church basement has grown into the NW9+ Hub, a welcoming space for over 60 older adults seeking friendship, support and joy. Thanks to God’s grace, caring councillors and funding from the West Hendon Community Trust Fund, we now host regular sessions filled with fitness, storytelling, arts, food support and outings. Our devoted volunteers keep everything running and ensure everyone feels seen and valued. A special Open Day in March 2025 brought the community together, raised funds and boosted awareness – even the Mayor and local councillors came to celebrate with us!
Barnet Council’s Strategy and the Community Engagement teams were represented.
Our fitness sessions bring together people aged 55–93 from all walks of life for safe, age-appropriate exercises that improve flexibility, balance, strength, and posture. With an impressive 85% attendance, these classes are now at full capacity at the West Hendon Community Hub. Guided with care, participants progress at their own pace, using light weights, resistance bands, and other simple equipment. Many report feeling stronger, more mobile, and emotionally uplifted — with even their doctors noticing the positive impact and encouraging them to keep coming.
Food Bank
Weekly food bank of good surplus food from participating stores are redistributed to the participants of the NW9+ activities so that they do not experience food poverty and hunger. We made a separate food service to protect the dignity of the senior citizens by not letting them go queue at regular food banks or remain passive and hungry in isolation. Besides food bank service provision, we ensure that they have healthy light lunch, to which they all always look forward.
Our nutrition therapy workshops, held twice a month, support around 44 participants — many living on low incomes or managing health challenges like diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Through practical talks, food samples, and open Q&A, members learn about portion sizes, food labels, and the benefits of wholefoods. Many have since embraced healthier habits, gained confidence in choosing better foods, and are even trying new options like kefir for the first time. By month seven, participants showed real progress in portion control, label reading, and understanding how diet impacts their health. These sessions have become a vital step toward healthier living and greater wellbeing in our community.
Arts & Crafts
Knitting and crocheting take place 2ce a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays with mixed skills levels, from new beginners to somewhat experts. An average of 5 people attend sessions, an improvement from 6 months earlier when it was sometimes 2 in attendance. Some participants, about 8, attend sewing classes as and when on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays to connect with others, to share skills or to hone the sewing skill they once had. These participants also have the advantage of intergenerational connections which led to the invitation of 10 younger people to join the last Day Trip.
Garment Construction
Knitting & Crocheting
The Mayor bought some
Majority of service users like to do pottery, having consulted with Maxability on Grahame Park, and besides the high cost of workshops, participants would need to be on site due to immobility of training tools, and they also could not accommodate large groups in their calendar slots. We have kept the arts & crafts on because of the benefits reported by the few who attend.
‘TM’ stated that knitting improves her fingers mobility. Arthritis nearly crippled them.
‘KB’ enjoys the small group, feeling free and safe to share social and emotional issues with few trusted friends she had made over the period.
Small Talks
Our storytelling happens in free-flow impromptu occasions, making it relaxing and well received. Sometimes, it is someone’s hilarious life experience or made up fictions to which everyone laughs. Other times, and more often, the talk is designed to get feedback of the service provision which concludes as health education and action points for health and wellbeing.
Day Trips
We had coach trips to Brighton, Winchester, Bath City and Southend-on-Sea, each one every quarter of the year with an average of 40 people. Each journey started and ended at West Hendon Community Hub, except the recent trip on the 12th of July, it started from and returned to St Matthias Church Hall, due to the closure of Perryfield Way.
Each of the places visited provided us different and exciting experiences. Every participant expressed joy and appreciation for each outing.
Next Steps:
⦁ Advice Service provision was discussed during the Open Day, aimed to reduce hospital and distant journeys while empowering more people to access essential services closer to their homes.
⦁ Integrate cookery sessions to promote healthy eating and cooking on budget in collaboration with Public Health and Barnet Food Partnership towards food security.
⦁ Improvement to Open Days to be financially viable, incorporating lessons learned.
⦁ Referrals of people with hearing conditions for review of their hearing aids and regular sight and audio check referrals/ advice to improve sight and hearing.
Our team and the beneficiaries really appreciate this funding, and we are very grateful. It came at a very desperate decision-making time, when it would have shut down. The funding added much value to the project and more support critical to health and well-being of the people who are using the service provision. Personally, I cannot express the appreciation to WHCTF management enough, seeing people connected, interdependent and thriving, gives me so much joy that life can be lived to the full when we provide needs-led support to our various communities.
St Matthias Church Hall, Rushgrove Avenue, NW9 6QY. Contact: 07448412979