Chart-topping reggae band, Aswad, and the bad boys of 90s pop, East 17, will be headlining Barnet Summertime in Barnet Playing Fields.

With 21 albums to their name and over two decades on the music scene, Aswad earned international acclaim with their reggae version of “Don’t Turn Around.” The smash hit was released in 1988 and sailed to the #1 slot on the UK national charts.

OFSTED’s report published this week (2 August) finds that in spite of the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the council’s Children’s Services has ensured that “…the vast majority of children in care benefit from living in placement arrangements that meet their individual needs.” The report highlights the significant recent progress made by the Children’s Services leadership team to create more local placements for children and young people, includin

Councillor Caroline Stock, Chair of the Barnet Health and Wellbeing Board said “I am delighted to launch the new Barnet Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy that sets out a vision for creating a borough of health, working together with our residents and other partners. Having the right strategy that articulates commitments and vision is the first step, and importantly what will count next is how we deliver our ambitions together.

The Town Centre Heroes initiative is part of the Discover Barnet campaign and aims to celebrate the people behind Barnet’s town centres that have gone above and beyond to support their community. We want to honour the everyday heroes who make a difference in our borough.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has followed the rules since the start of the pandemic. Without the many sacrifices that we have all made, we would not have been able to regain many of our freedoms today. I also want to thank the thousands of Barnet residents who have had or are planning to have both doses of their vaccine as vaccination remains the strongest weapon we have in the fight against COVID-19.

Therefore, everybody needs to remain cautious and follow the guidance on keeping yourself and others safe. This includes limiting close contact with those you don’t live with, meeting outdoors, washing your hands regularly, letting fresh air into homes and wearing a face covering in crowded areas such as public transport. People should still work from home if they can and gradually return to workplaces.

I’m also proud of the staunch anti-racist stance we take in this borough and condemn the vile and cowardly incidents targeting some members of our communities that are being brought to our attention. We will work with the Metropolitan Police to ensure all reported cases of racial abuse are investigated and culprits are held accountable.

The works are part of a £1.1million investment plan to create a thriving green lung in the centre of an urban environment that’s undergone huge regeneration in recent years.

Other new facilities in the park will include an outdoor gym, table tennis, fixed chess tables, new fruit trees in a scenic blossom orchard and state-of-the-art play areas. Wildflower areas and benches, a picnic area with garden tables, 3.2-metre cycling and walking path and a zip line are further additions included in the development proposals.

The six ambitious projects range from renovating the outdoor space at a community centre, to holding a medieval festival to celebrate the 550th anniversary of the Battle of Barnet, and creating a wildlife wonderland.

The project creators have been drumming up support from their communities and the council has responded by pledging over £12,500 to boost the projects towards their crowdfunding targets.