2021 marked 30 years since our charity was constituted and we were keen to celebrate!
With the support of local partners, we submitted an application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for our first history-based project. We’d love to record some oral histories with the people who founded Hornsey Vale Community Association and to create an exhibition from our archive.
If you have ideas of memories to share about the local area we’d love to hear from you.
Some of our dedicated volunteers have been involved since the beginning. Duncan Kerr, our Secretary, sums up those 30 years: “Once Upon A Time…
…in Hornsey Vale, there stood an empty, lonely building situated on wasteland where once had been a secondary school. Neighbours approached Haringey Council to ask if they could run it as a community centre and since 1991, with the lovely Stationers Park right beside it, and Weston Park Primary School opening in 1995, all sorts of classes and activities have been established and run by volunteers.
After being granted a lotta National Lottery Millennium Fund money to smarten it up and make it accessible, the centre became popular for its After-School Club, daytime nurseries, birthday parties, exercise and art classes and much more. The meeting rooms were quickly booked up with craft classes, discussion groups, social mornings with Age Concern and a monthly Lunch Club too.
Our outdoor seasonal events like Apple Day, May Day Gala, Music in the Park, fireworks displays and candle parades for the little ones have been fun for organisers and participants alike.
The Centre had a rather more lonely time during 2020 due to the pandemic and it’s fantastic to see it alive and bustling again.”