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Permalink Reply by Kate Franzmann on August 8, 2023 at 13:15

Hi all

Could someone please

give me some information.  Has 'We Love Myddleton Road' taken over the role of Bowes Park Community Association.  I  was under the impression  one was set up to improve the commercial side of our area and the Community Association was set up to serve the needs of those who lived in the whole area of Bounds Green.In my opinion these are two rather different aims.

My second query is about the purpose of Fins Feste.  This was set up three local residents to try and give a bit of fun and excitement to local children who were unlikely to get a holiday in the summer.  Most of the games and activities - and there were many - were free and therefore encouraged kids and parents without spare cash to participate in a community event.  This still seems to me to be a laudible aim but it appears to have morphed into something much more commercial where the same segment of the population who have surplus cash meet together and have a good time.  Not really a 'Community ' Event where all are welcome.  As one of those who set up the Feste this saddens me.  I don't quite understand why the needs of the food bank - much needed as it is  - should be funded by Fins Feste when we have many local kids many who have  parents have limited resources and who play in the Gardens daily are excluded for what used to be a welcome day of free activities due to lack of funds.  

I would be grateful for you thoughts and info

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Permalink Reply by Lucy Whitehead on August 14, 2023 at 13:18

Hi Kate ,

 

The post was asking for help from local residents in four different categories. The problem we have at the moment, which I know you have experienced in the past, is that there are a few people doing lots of volunteer work and we wanted to encourage new residents – or those who have lived in the area for a while and whose situation may have changed – to get involved in some way. Basically, we cannot keep all the activities, events, and interests going without more people participating so the post was a joint effort and request from all the various groups in Bowes Park.

 

We Love Myddleton Road hasn’t taken over the role of the Bowes Park Community Association. The requests for help were for different things in the area. Maybe the message was confused when the post included inviting anyone who had interest in any of the four separate requests to a social event at The Tap Room on Myddleton Road, organised by We Love Myddleton Road.

 

FinsFeste provides many free activities, as it always has, but is now held in September. The goals are still the same and I don’t understand and don’t agree when you say it isn’t a community event. Last year we had free face painting, free craft activities, free photography lessons, free “Bubble Lady”, and free music all afternoon with tables and chairs and an area where many children and adults were dancing.  Food stalls were professional operators because we have in the past been let down by local food makers and the need to provide more hot food for the event was apparent. They all agreed to sell food at a lower than usual rate. 

 

The Bounds Green Food Bank supports those in N22 and N11 (and a portion of N8, which is around Wood Green Shopping Centre) and so this includes the people you are referring to when you say “we have many local kids many who have parents have limited resources and who play in the Gardens daily are excluded for what used to be a welcome day of free activities due to lack of funds.” 

The Bounds Green Food Bank definitely isn’t “funded by FinsFeste”. Last year, the food bank had its own stall and between that and agreements with a couple of generous food and arts providers at FinsFeste, the event raised some funds for the food bank. The other funds raised from cakes and drinks and the tombola all go to the BPCA to help pay for the event.

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