Welcome to our September newsletter
What an amazing start we’ve had to September!
We kicked off the month with a brilliant day at the London Irish Vintage Rally, where we had so much fun with our very first Human Fruit Machine – yes, you heard that right! It certainly got people talking, laughing and having a go, and helped us raise a fantastic amount for BIAS.
Then, last weekend, we had a brilliant day cheering on more than 200 runners at the Kilhan Construction Charity Run! We’re so grateful to Kilhan for choosing BIAS as one of their four charity partners for the second year running. It was an incredible day with an amazing amount raised.
Our clubs are also back after their August break and have wasted no time getting into the swing of things, with live music, dancing and plenty more planned for the weeks ahead.
Read on to find out how much was raised, see what we’ve been up to and what’s coming next at BIAS.
Active Ageing clubs are back
Brent Update
It’s great to be back after a lovely summer break. Anton kicked off our first Railway Club session of September with his brilliant singing and banter – and the dance floor was rarely empty! Thanks, Anton, and we’ll see you again soon.
It was also lovely to see so many familiar faces from our Brent clubs coming over to say hello to us and our Human Fruit Machine at the London Irish Vintage Rally.
Heidi got our Dollis Hill Club off to a great start too, and we have a busy few weeks ahead. Our lovely podiatrist, Desi, will also be visiting to offer appointments. We’re taking names at the clubs now, so please speak to Donna if you’d like to book a slot.
More dates to look forward to:
Tuesday 29 September | Dollis Hill | A visit from Noreen from Safe Home Ireland
Thursday 1 October | Railway Club | Live music with Paul Murray
Tuesday 6 October | Dollis Hill | Podiatrist appointments with Desi
Thursday 8 October | Railway Club | Visit from the Fire Service
Tuesday 13 October | Dollis Hill | Live music with Glen Flynn
Thursday 15 October | Railway Club | Brent’s Got Talent!
Thursday 29 October | Railway Club | Halloween Party with live music from Shane & Merv Owen
Tuesday 10 November | Dollis Hill | Live music with Glen Longshot
Thursday 26 November | Railway Club | Live music
There’s lots to look forward to!
Haringey Update
August flew by and our Haringey lunch clubs are now back in action.
Our Tottenham Club has moved to a new home at St Francis de Sales Church Hall, 729 High Road, N17 8AG, with entrance from Brereton Road. The club will continue to run every Wednesday from 12–3pm until Christmas. Our Hornsey Club remains at Hornsey Vale Community Centre, 60 Mayfield Road, N8 9LP, every Friday from 12–3pm.
There’s plenty happening this month. Finbar Black joined us at Hornsey on Friday 11 September for an afternoon of live music, and Anton will be playing at our Tottenham Club on Wednesday 16 September.
We’ll also have a chair exercise session at Hornsey on Friday 25 September, followed by a table quiz at Tottenham on Wednesday 30 September.
And that’s just September! We have plenty more planned for October, from live music to Halloween celebrations. New members are always welcome. Just drop into one of our clubs or get in touch with Nóra at nora@biasbrent.co.uk.
Out and about with BIAS
London Irish Vintage Rally
What a day we had at the London Irish Vintage Rally on the 6th September. It’s an event we look forward to every year, with brilliant live performances, dancing and a real celebration of the Irish community in London.
This year we decided to bring something a little different – our very own Human Fruit Machine. Made for us by The Desk in Park Royal, it was our first time trying this fundraising idea and we couldn’t have asked for a better response. People of all ages got involved and, with the help of our fantastic volunteers bringing plenty of energy and fun, we raised just over £250 for BIAS.
We loved seeing everyone get behind it, including the London Irish Rose and The Irish World, who came along and had a go themselves.
Of course, a fruit machine needs prizes! Thanks to YourIrishShop.com, our stall was packed with Irish favourites including Cleeve’s, Oatfield and Emerald sweets. We loved hearing people reminisce about the sweets they remembered from Ireland.
A huge thank you to everyone who stopped by for a go, our brilliant volunteers who threw themselves into the fun, and Maureen, Brendan and Trish from the Vintage Rally for another fantastic day.
Kilhan Construction Charity Run
Last Saturday, we joined more than 200 runners at the Kilhan Construction Charity Run in Gladstone Park.
For the second year running, Kilhan chose BIAS as one of four local charities to benefit from this fantastic event, alongside Brent Foodbank, CAAS and St Luke’s Hospice.
And what an achievement – so far, this year’s run has raised over £96,000!
We wanted to give the runners a little something back too. Using some of the Irish sweets kindly donated by YourIrishShop, we made up treat bags as a well-earned pick-me-up after they crossed the finish line, along with a little message from BIAS to say congratulations and thank you.
It was brilliant to see so many people come together for four local charities, and we are incredibly grateful to the Kilhan team, every runner, volunteer, supporter and everyone who donated.
Thank you, Kilhan, for choosing to support BIAS again this year and for everything you do for the local community.
Volunteer Project
While the summer holidays might mean a slightly slower pace for some, things certainly didn’t stop for our volunteers here at BIAS.
Throughout August, many of our befriending pairs continued to meet up, making the most of the sunshine with long walks in the park, trips to local cafés and plenty of good chats along the way. It was lovely to see our befriending project continue to go from strength to strength over the summer months.
The holidays also gave us a great opportunity to bring some of our volunteers together. In August, we hosted our very first volunteer pub social at Tony’s, a local Irish pub, bringing together our club volunteers, befrienders and office volunteers for a wee drink, a catch-up and a bit of craic. It was a brilliant evening, and hopefully the first of many.
Our volunteers have also been out and about with us this September, bringing plenty of energy to our Human Fruit Machine at the Vintage Rally, with one of our volunteers also joining us at the Kilhan Charity Run.
This week, we continued that spirit with another of our monthly Volunteer Coffee Mornings at the BIAS office, bringing volunteers together for a cuppa and a chat.
For the rest of August, much of our time was spent behind the scenes getting ready for the autumn and winter months ahead. With Befriending Week just around the corner and plenty of other exciting things in the works, our volunteer project is ready for the next chapter.
Bring on autumn!
What you need to know
Throughout August, our drop-in services supported 179 clients across Brent and Haringey, with our advice team helping secure over £470,000 in financial gains through benefits and successful applications.
Ferry Travel – Passport Changes
Travelling between Britain and Ireland? From 28th September, passengers on key ferry routes between Britain and the Republic of Ireland will need a valid passport at check-in.
Need to apply for or renew yours? BIAS can support you with your passport application. Please check the requirements for your route with your ferry operator before travelling.
State Pensions & Pension Credit
Have you worked in both the UK and Ireland? Our staff recently completed training on Irish and UK State Pensions and can help review your individual circumstances.
Don’t overlook Pension Credit. Changes such as losing a partner, declining health or receiving Attendance Allowance could mean you are newly entitled. Pension Credit can also provide access to Council Tax reductions, Winter Fuel Payment and a free TV licence.
Child Benefit
Did your Child Benefit stop or reduce after your child turned 16 in August? If they are aged 16–19 and staying in approved full-time non-advanced education, such as A-Levels or T-Levels, you need to take action to extend your payments. Remember: you must inform HMRC, not the DWP.
Need Advice or Support?
For help with a passport application, UK or Irish State Pension, Pension Credit, Child Benefit or another issue, call our BIAS Advice Team on 020 8459 6655, email welfare@biasbrent.co.uk or come and see us at one of our drop-in advice surgeries in Brent or Haringey.
Mental Health Support
For mental health support, contact icap:
020 7272 7906 | info@icap.org.uk
Referrals: referrals@icap.org.uk
Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm
Until next time…
What a start to September it’s been! A huge thank you to everyone who has joined us at our clubs, volunteered their time, supported our fundraising or simply stopped by to say hello.
There’s plenty more to come over the next few months, and we’re looking forward to sharing it all with you.
See you soon!
The BIAS Team