MHA Communities North London

01/12/2025

When do life’s moments become moments that matter?

Last week, MHA launched our Share a Memory appeal to raise funds for our Befriending Service.

Last year, our amazing befrienders made over 9,000 calls to older people, bringing conversation, laughter and comfort to those who might otherwise face long days alone. This appeal will help us keep those vital connections alive and reach even more people.

Let’s tackle loneliness together. Learn more: https://bit.ly/44oe7pR.

01/10/2025

Happy International Day of Older Persons!

Our Head of MHA Communities, Steve Thompson, has written a blog discussing the amazing impact that MHA Communities has on older people and why creating an age-friendly community is everyone's responsibility.

You can read Steve's thoughts at

MHA Communities marks the International Day of Older Persons, celebrating older people and building age-friendly communities across the UK.

13/06/2025

A final message of thanks..

As my final days begin to draw to a close, I just wanted to write you all a message of appreciation. The past couple of months have been emotional, but through it all I have felt such an overwhelming wave of love from each and every one of you which, although doesn’t ease the pain of leaving, reminds me of what a brilliant and supportive community I am surrounded by. At a time where I sit and question the next chapter, your kindness and compassion has helped me through and shown the positives in the situation.

I have been here just over 6 years, and what a brilliant journey it has been. I can hand on heart say I have enjoyed every single second, and what a joy it has been to wake up and look forward to work each day. I’ve made such fond memories, and each and every one of you have some way shaped me into who I am today. Without you all, none of this would have been possible.

From lunch clubs to afternoon teas, lockdown meetings in the park to Boxing Day parties and Coronations, as I sit here and write this message I can only reflect on how lucky I have been. You’ve encouraged me to grow, to take risks, and to believe in the impact we can make together. When I started 6 years ago, I had no idea how this was going to evolve. All I knew was that I wanted to make a difference and wow, have we done that. I stand in the rooms filled with you all, hearing the chatter and the laughter, and I look around with such pride at what has been created, and I hope that the next person feels the same magic that I do.

Through the connections of the groups, I know that whatever happens next, you will all have each other as support. I love hearing about the other times you meet up in the week, or seeing the friendly banter and jokes that only true friends can share. These moments are nothing short of magical, and it’s warming to see the way you embrace and care for one another, through every challenge and every triumph.

From the afternoon teas full of song, to bingo dabbers and mass cooking on a Thursday despite always burning the pan, to hearing people say “I’m only here for the cake, and the exercise is to say I’ve earned it”, and those freezing cold winter mornings warming up with a brew in the market, to recording your memories on our podcast with Niburu London and bringing a party each week to those bustling library spaces what a pure joy it has been and one I won’t forget in a hurry.

Although I wave goodbye to you all with an extremely heavy heart, and I will shed plenty of tears over the next few days, I am so grateful that I have something so hard to leave behind and worth missing. I can honestly say I’m a better person from this whole experience. Whether you’ve joined us at a weekly club, joined us from time to time or enjoyed reading my weekly emails, thank you for being a part of this journey.

13/06/2025

The final Christmas bag of 2025 🥳 sadly, the annual tote bags were in shorter supply this year as I didn’t have time to complete the mammoth task but paper bags with the same design, chocolate crackers, mug cards and homemade cake were still in good supply. We’ve handed out approx 130 of these over the past 2 weeks! We hope you’ve enjoyed your early Christmas treat 😋

12/06/2025

There’s a new trend of filming a celebration in reverse - rather than film the person, you film the crowd around them and I’ve got to say - they’re right. It’s something special to watch back and see all those lovely faces.

12/06/2025

I’m always asked what my favourite part of the job is and of course - I love every part. But actually there is one very special day each year which I hold close to my heart… Boxing Day!

Every year (except for the lockdown) we have met on Boxing Day to share the afternoon with one another. It’s a place for people who would otherwise have been alone to come along and be with others, share in friendship and remember that there is life outside their four walls and people that care.

Now, what makes it extra special is that every year these guys have played for us. They have so generously given their time when they could be with loved ones, to pick up their ukuleles and bring some joy and festive cheer to the room.

For them, perhaps it’s just another gig. But truth be told I know the magic that this creates. Christmas can be an extremely lonely time, but it can also shine the spotlight on all the kindness around us. They come every year, in full force and you can see the enjoyment on their faces, the friendship amongst them and the wonderful gift they have to share.

SOUP ukulele band is the perfect example of this and what a wonderful bunch they are. Before we know it, everyone’s leaving the hall and humming a tune and they’ve forgot the worries of the world for an hour or two. And that, is the magic feeling I wish I could bottle so everyone can feel it. I promise you it will top any Christmas you have ever spent, stepping into a hall and hearing laughter and music.

They have supported me through every part of this journey. We’ve celebrated the jubilee and coronations and even today, on my last lunch club they rallied round for one final gig and what a perfect way to wrap this all up.

Thank you particularly to Drew and Malcolm for organising these events and bringing us all together

Words cannot express my gratitude, but they have played a huge part in helping to make this difference. Thank you for being a part of all of this. Each one of you are stars and we personally thank you for your support and friendship ❤️

12/06/2025

Today we brought Boxing Day forward by 6 months and had a christmas roast dinner and was entertained by our good friends from SOUP - complete with our Santa hats. If I can’t be here for Christmas… then Christmas WILL come to me 😅

There are no words to sum up this afternoon or this week really. Just know how dearly I will miss you all and what a great community you all have in one another. I have absolutely loved every second and have felt nothing but love from you all during this time. Thank you for such a wonderful send off. I will miss the chatter and laughter in the hall on a Thursday afternoon but lean on each other, look out for one another and keep the good spirits going.

You have all been so wonderful. All I can say is thank you ❤️

11/06/2025

Today I had my last session at the library and what better way to finish my journey here, than with an art class by Sufia.

Today’s topic was a sun set and Sufia taught us how to paint a beautiful sea of colours, which sparked conversations about how calming and relaxing we find the sea as well as sun sets.

Here are our finished pieces - don’t they look great?? We have some real talent on our doorstep and we hope you all will continue to pick up your brushes going forward and keep those creative juices flowing ☺️

A big thank you to Sufia for putting on such a wonderful class for us. With a background as a professional artist and using this as a tool of therapy, we were very lucky that she gave her time to bring a bit of sunshine (or shall we say sunset!) to our day. Showing us simple but effective tools, Sufia demonstrates how anyone can create an artwork, whether they think they’re artists or not.

Sufia’s talents have since sparked others to either discover the joy of painting, or to dust off their brushes and rekindle their love for art, outside of the group. It’s so wonderful to be surrounded by a supportive community. Moments like this show what we can do when we all work together, and encourage one another’s skills.

Sufia, we thank you for all you have done to enrich our lives. There are a number of you which have come forward to volunteer and share your skills whether it’s arts, crafts, sari workshops or sharing your stories. Together have made such a wholesome community ❤️

11/06/2025

One of the greatest projects we carried out was the Stories of Enfield project in 2022. Awarded a fund by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, we spent the course of a year taking a walk down memory lane.

We recorded the life stories of the older community and then turned them into a walking trail utilising our community connections from all walks of life. The final trail had 12 stops on it and took us on a journey from Crews Hill to Calcutta with a trial run trail with stepping stones in the park.

Here’s some snaps of the process and the final trail. It was so much fun getting to hear the life stories of you all and hear the journeys you’d been on to be the people you are today. What a wholesome experience, and I often wonder what story I would share if it were my turn?

From young and old, it was a whole community project which included people of all ages and it was great to see younger people in particular learn about how local people had had an impact on the borough they live in today.

Thank you to all who took part in this wonderful project 🥰🥳

10/06/2025

One of the most important parts of our scheme are the volunteers. Without them, none of what we do would be made possible.

They help out at the clubs, smaking sure everyone is fed and watered, helping with the mammoth washing up and offering a friendly chat, but most of all they’re the smiling faces that greet you all as you walk in the door. When you’re new, they help you feel at home and if you’re having a bit of a tough day they pick you back up and make sure you leave feeling your best.

They go along with my crazy ideas and they do so with a smile, always cheering us on to keep developing the work we deliver. I’m so grateful to each and every one of you for your dedication and commitment. Simply, I couldn’t have carried all of this out without your support and been able to welcome so many of you, week in week out.

It’s the support of people like you who make this job so enjoyable ❤️ I think each one of them are stars in their own right and I want to thank you for kindly giving your time to be with us. I’ll miss each and every one of you but what great memories we’ve made along the way on this journey. A solid team, together we’ve achieved great things!

10/06/2025

The Felix Project have helped make our lunch clubs happen. We sat down and crunched the numbers and they’ve helped us produce approximately 18000 meals over the 6 years we’ve been delivering services - just think of all that perfectly good food that would have otherwise ended up in landfill.

From lunches to Christmas dinners they’ve kept us well fed and been there come rain, shine, snow or even lockdown!

With food from places like Harrods and Fortnum and Masons as well as the usual supermarkets they make special things happen and without their support we wouldn’t be able to heavily subsidise the lunches we serve every week.

Thank you to the team of staff and volunteers 💫 here’s a snap from our last collection!

10/06/2025

A project close to my heart was the work we did with Niburu London and Onetoone Enfield

We came along to support the sessions and help the members of One to One with their literacy skills, but we didn’t anticipate what we would learn in turn. The friendships we forged were so special, built on trust, understanding and patience.

Over the weeks we really made momentum and we found the members feeling more confident and growing in their literacy which is an invaluable gift and something I’m always grateful to those who supported for offering. We really did achieve something quite special and to be able to stand up in front of their peers and present their research projects was something I’m sure the participants would never have envisioned at the start.

What an empowering journey. We don’t need special skills or qualifications. Just be being kind and compassionate we can make a huge difference. Removing judgement, showing encouragement and celebrating the small wins really does make miracles happen ❤️

One that’s close to my heart. Some special friendships made along the way. Thank you to you all.