Summer Family Events at Willesden Jewish Cemetery

 

Guest post by Irina Porter

Where would you go on a sunny day to enjoy exploring outdoors in the cool shade of the trees, stunning flowers and urban wildlife? Where can you do this with all the family – from the young ones to the grandparents – experiencing something educational and fascinating? To the cemetery, of course!

 

Willesden Jewish Cemetery (WJC) is not just a place of remembrance, but also a beautiful sanctuary full of life. It is a 20 acre oasis of nature, combined with a beautiful architectural landscape, right in the middle of a busy built up area. Adjacent to Roundwood Park, it forms part of a large green corridor where nature thrives, and it is now open for everyone to explore and enjoy.

WJC opened in 1873 as a garden cemetery. It was nearly full by the 1960s, and now only 20 funerals a year take place there. In 2015, an innovative project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and other benefactors transformed the cemetery into a heritage attraction, with historic displays, interpretation boards, information leaflets, free car parking, disabled access and toilets. The new Heritage Centre welcomes visitors of all faiths and cultures, telling the story of the Jewish community in London and beyond. If you happen to drop by during the opening hours (see the website for details: https://www.willesdenjewishcemetery.org.uk), a friendly volunteer will show you what’s on offer and answer your questions.

Volunteers are at the heart of what we do: from gardening to guided tours, from historical research to front of house. Our friendly team is there to contribute passion, time and expertise to our common cause – to bring this gem of history and nature to a wider audience.

The cemetery runs a busy programme, which includes guided walks, family history advice, Death Café, schools’ visits, World War commemorations and nature events.

This summer we are launching a new programme of activities, aimed at families and children:

 

On Sunday 14 July join us for our Family Discovery Day, a morning of nature exploration, something unique and fascinating for the whole family. A short guided walk offers an introduction to what we have to offer to a young nature lover, as well as taking in the beauty of a historic architectural landscape. Throughout the morning children will be able to take part in creative workshops, such as making bug hotels and butterflies. Our volunteers will share the remarkable stories of some very special people connected with the cemetery. Plus: try on a special hat for a perfect photo opportunity!

If you fancy exploring the cemetery by yourself, we offer discovery trails tailored for different school ages, which uncover stories and secrets hidden within the cemetery's grounds. From spotting symbols of Jewish traditions to unravelling mysteries surrounding intriguing figures, there's something for everyone to enjoy.

For the grown-ups, we offer a leaflet with a map and life stories of 20 remarkable individuals, which will help you navigate through our enchanting gardens and significant monuments as well as a FREE guide on Bloomberg connects: https://www.bloombergconnects.org/

The event is free, there is a small charge of £5 per family for craft activities. For more information and to book, visit: (https://www.willesdenjewishcemetery.org.uk/events/family-discovery)

If you cannot make 14 July, check out our summer workshops for children. Discover the Wonders of Nature sessions which will run on 24 and 31 July, 2pm – 4 pm. We’ll take a short nature walk through our beautiful grounds, exploring the hidden gems of our local ecosystem with our knowledgeable guides. Following the walk, we will run a craft session.

 

 

Using materials sourced from the great outdoors, let your imagination soar as you create beautiful works of art inspired by the wonders of the environment. From nature mosaics to bug hotels, there's something for everyone to enjoy! https://www.willesdenjewishcemetery.org.uk/events/nature-holiday-workshops

Every Wednesday morning in August we will run Creative Collage Workshops. Inspired by the cemetery and expressing this on paper, create beautiful and meaningful collages which tell stories of the past, stirred by the evocative landscape. The workshops are aimed at primary school children but will be suitable and enjoyable for all ages. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Advance booking is essential. https://www.willesdenjewishcemetery.org.uk/events/creative-workshops.

Please feel free to get in touch if you have further questions: either by email (heritage@theus.org.uk) or phone (020 8459 6107). We will be happy to hear from you and welcome you to our very special historic green space.

 

Speak a language other than English? Register for FREE On-line English and Community Workshops

 

A great opportunity for 'higher-level ESOL*' learners to:

 

• improve their English
• learn their rights
• and get involved in community action. 

 

Enrolment form HERE

 

*ESOL = English for Speakers of Other Languages

 

Only for people resident in Brent. Funded by Brent Council.

Extra consultation event on Brent Local Plan - Tuesday December 5th

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 Brent Council is putting on extra consultation events to discuss the new Local Plan. Opinion will differ on how much notice will be taken of contributions but here are the details of the Willesden Green Library event for those readers who are interested:

You are invited to help shape Brent's future  Brent Council is starting work on a new Local Plan which will shape how the borough is developed over the next 20 years. Thank you to everyone who attended the workshops and drop in sessions held in September and October 2017. For those who were unable to make these sessions we’re holding two additional workshop which will cover the borough as a whole. Why get involved? Have your say on the issues that affect how you live, work and socialise in Brent.   Interactive workshop sessions will cover: What the Local Plan is and how it will affect key issues like housing, employment, town centres and community spaces; ·       Different growth options as we start to think about where housing, employment and other forms of development will be built; Explore what’s important about your local area and opportunities for it to improve; What you want your area to be like in the future. Register for a workshop below Light refreshments will be served Tuesday 5 December Willesden Green Library 7-9pm Register here   For more information and full details visit www.brent.gov.uk/shapebrent

Book now for Grunwick commemoration mural workshops

Click on image to enlarge

CLICK HERE TO BOOK

This is your chance to partipate in designing a mural which will be installed on a prominent wall in Willesden in Autumn 2016. 

In 1976, six workers walked out of Grunwick Film Processing Laboratory in Willesden and ignited an historic two-year dispute which united thousands to demand better rights for poorly treated workers. 23rd August 2016 will mark the 40th anniversary of the Grunwick Strike, and offers a moment to remember, to commemorate, to celebrate and to learn.

Now the high street that saw 20,000 people come down in a single day to support the strike is looking pretty drab. As you arrive at Dollis Hill tube station and walk past the former Grunwick site to the main road, you’ll see plenty of plain, bare walls and unloved spaces.

We will be installing a mural close to the original site of the Grunwick factory to brighten up our high street with a permanent reminder of the power of our community; and to inspire future generations to come together to challenge injustice.

The workshops will be run by an experienced mural artist who will lead us in looking at a range of archive materials, including photographs and film. Using a variety of materials and printing techniques we will then create our own images of Grunwick which will eventually will be digitally combined to produce a design for the final mural.

Everyone aged 13 and above is welcome. You don't need any artistic ability as full guidance will be given, but if you have any photographs, press cuttings or memories of the dispute then please bring them along to share.

The workshops will run from 10.30am-3.30pm including a lunch break.

We are also running shorter workshops over three weeks on different dates at the Dudden Hill Centre, click here for details.

If you would like to contribute to the Crowdfunder which is riasing money for this project click HERE 

At time of writing £1,600 of the target £12,000 has been raised

Brent Beats with Simon Mole on Thursday at Wembley Library

In association with Spread the Word, spoken word poet and MC Simon Mole leads this taster workshop on Thursday 26th September at Wembley Library (Civic Centre) opposite Wembley Arena. 4pm to 6pm

Try your hand at Freestyling and Spoken Word… and create a piece of your own that you can perform along with Simon and other poets such as Raymund Antrobus, Adam Kammerling and Deanna Rodger at the Chill Pill Open Mic at the Brent Civic Centre Opening Ceremony on Sunday 6 October.

Simon will also be running workshops on Sunday 6 October at 12.30pm and 2.30pm, where you can create more poems and raps, and prepare for your Chill Pill moment….
www.simonmole.com
www.chill-pill.co.uk