The many memorable events of 2023 ended with Carols in Pond Square, once again a resounding success. Looking forward, in January 2024 we have a talk on the true story of Richard (Dick) Whittington and the Lior Solomons Wise Trio in 10A. Brighten up your January and buy your tickets!
But 2024 will also bring its challenges. Highgate Hill and High Street form the boundary between Camden and Haringey and have been neglected. Several members have reported dangerous driving on Highgate Hill and near misses on the crossing, while the High Street is now a comparatively poor shopping environment due to the degradation by traffic. At the same time the Old Bus Stand is a huge opportunity and we will be pressing for it to be brought into productive use - with our Christmas market in December we demonstrated what can be achieved.
With best wishes to our readers for a happy new year. We hope you enjoy our newsletter - feedback is always welcome. Just hit reply on this email.
NEWS
More than 1,000 attend Carols in Pond Square
Carols in Pond Square this year was a great success, thanks to the hard work of over 25 Highgate Society volunteers. The rain cleared up just in time and our two chosen charities, North London Hospice and Jacksons Lane, for their Christmas Day Lunch, raised over £2,200. Read this report in the Ham & High.
Christmas Market in the Old Bus Stand
It was lovely to see the centre of the village so buzzy on a cold day at the beginning of December. In spite of the bitterly cold weather, we demonstrated that a small market in the Old Bus Stand would add to the commercial life of the village.
Dangerous driving
We desperately need measures to slow down the traffic on Highgate Hill between Bisham Gardens and Hornsey Lane. Click here to read about a recent incident.
Tidy-up programme for 2024 published
The Highgate Society Community Projects Group has published its programme of Tidy-up events for 2024. These monthly litter-picking events take place on Saturday mornings and last an hour. Volunteers welcome - see the details here.
Other news
The Highgate Society web site is being progressively redesigned. Visit highgatesociety.com to see the changes.
Haringey Council is conducting a survey on the future of car club services in the borough. A new online platform has been launched to help residents and businesses have their say. To participate click here. The closing date is 21st January.
EVENTS
Citizen of London: The story of Richard Whittington
Wednesday 17th January 7.30 pm
10A South Grove N6 6BS and on Zoom.
Entry £7.50 including a glass of wine. (£3 on Zoom).
Michael McCarthy introduces his biography of Richard Whittington - 'the boy who would be mayor' -from his arrival in London as a young boy to his death in 1423, against a backdrop of plague, politics and war.
Sunday 21st January 12 noon
10A South Grove N6 6BS
Entry £15 including a glass of Buck's Fizz.
Lior (piano), Edouard (double bass) and Jonah (drums) have been playing together for a couple of years. They take their inspiration from the great names of Bebop jazz - Charles Mingus, Cannonball Adderley, Miles Davis and John Coltrane - but will include some compositions of their own.
Sunday 11th February 6.30 pm
Venue to be announced
£30 including interval wine and canapés
Highgate Society members only
Amber Emson (violin), Luca Maffessoli Wadham (viola) and Jason Ma (cello) are award-winning students from the Royal Academy of Music. Their programme will include works by Beethoven and Dohnanyi. For more details and booking arrangements click here or see the Winter issue of buzz.
Cocktail tasting with Alice Lascelles
Friday 23rd February 7.30 pm
10A South Grove N6 6BS
£32.50 including cocktail tasters and light snacks.
Pre-booking essential
Join the Financial Times’s Alice Lascelles for a special evening of cocktail tasting and storytelling. This is the third time Alice has appeared at the Society – her previous, immensely enjoyable, gin and whiskey tasting evenings were both sold out.
● Defibrillator training. The Community Projects group looks after our two public defibrillators (outside Pond Square toilets and the Woodman pub). To support this the group is planning some more defibrillator and resuscitation training with London Ambulance Service (date to be arranged). If any local resident or business would like to join, please email the group as soon as possible: Infrastructure@highgatesociety.com.
● The next French Circle meeting will be on Wednesday 3rd January at 7.30pm. "We will celebrate Epiphany by singing together in French, accompanied on the piano by the wonderful Margaret. Christine will play us some stimulating pre-recorded music, and we will feast on our usual cheeses, pâtés, nibbles, AND we will crown the lucky discoverer of the fève, king or queen of the evening! There will be lots of wine flowing, and fruit juice for those who prefer. All French speakers, even if rusty, are most welcome to attend. In January 2023 we had a record attendance, we would love it to be the same in 2024. Our costs have gone up, alas, so the entrance is £15 for this very special evening. We can only take cash, at the door, please. Bonne Année à tous !"
● The next Tidy-up event is on Saturday 6th January. Meet at the junction of Wood Lane and Queen's Wood Road. For more details click here.
●The Poetry Group has its next meeting on Tuesday 9th January at 6.30 pm. The theme for the month is 'Bring a favourite poem'. £3 admission includes tea and biscuits. For more details contact Richard Downes at r.downes@yahoo.co.uk.
● The next Coffee & Computers session will be on Monday 5th February at 10A South Grove. To receive notifications of sessions, email highgatecoffeeandcomputers@gmail.com.
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To access past issues of this newsletter visit the News page of the Highgate Society web site.
Disclaimer:
The Highgate Society is an unincorporated association established for the public benefit. It endeavours to ensure that the information it provides as a free service is correct but does not warrant that it is accurate or complete. Nothing in this correspondence constitutes professional or legal advice and may not be relied on as such. In no event will the Society be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation indirect or consequential loss or damage or any damage whatsoever arising from any objections criticism advice and information it provides.
