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On 26th and 27th June, between 9am-5pm, everyone aged 18 or over can simply turn up to get the Pfizer jab without an appointment. You can get your second jab if your first was at least eight weeks earlier. People will not need to be registered with a GP or have their NHS number.

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. 

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 students’ art piece reflects three themes: celebration, the local community through a young person’s eyes, and forests. The forest theme relates to the exact location of the mural; on the site of Christmas tree store, Pines and Needles. As part of the design process, students submitted an array of paintings and photographs in response to a competition the school ran - they could either create a brand-new artwork or choose one of their existing artworks which they felt related to the themes.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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