Welcome to our July newsletter

June was a special month for BIAS as we celebrated the people who make our work possible during Volunteers’ Week.

Our volunteers are at the heart of everything we do. Every year, they help make our clubs possible, welcoming more than 7,000 attendances across Brent and Haringey. While members enjoy the laughter, music and friendship each week, there’s a huge amount of work that goes on behind the scenes to make it all happen.

July continues to be busy, with our Scéalta event on 18 July, trips to the seaside and plenty more happening across our clubs before we take our summer break. We hope you enjoy reading about everything that’s been happening across BIAS and what’s still to come.

The Volunteer Project

June was a busy month for us as we marked Volunteers’ Week with a full programme of events to celebrate the people who give their time, energy and support to BIAS.

We started the week with a relaxed Sip and Paint afternoon tea, which was a brilliant way to bring everyone together. While unleashing our creative side painting ceramics, we enjoyed a lovely afternoon unwinding and catching up with our volunteers.

Not long after, we headed to the Irish in Britain Volunteer Awards – a real highlight of the week. We were so proud to see our former trustee, Dónal MacCraith, recognised as runner-up in the Trustee Award category. A fantastic achievement and thoroughly deserved.

We rounded things off with a volunteer meal on Friday evening, joined by our Chair of Trustees, Eddie O’Kane. After such a busy week, it was lovely to sit down together, share a meal and properly say thank you for everything our volunteers do throughout the year.

It really was a feel-good week from start to finish and a wonderful reminder of just how much our volunteers mean to BIAS.

Interested in volunteering?
Please call our friendly Volunteer Manager, Marie, on 020 8459 6655 (choose option 2) for an informal chat or email volunteers@biasbrent.co.uk

Brent Club Highlights

June was a busy month across our Brent clubs, with plenty of music, dancing and some very special visitors.

We were delighted to welcome TR Dallas (Tom Allen) from Ireland, who treated members at our Dollis Hill club to a fantastic afternoon of live music. With a cheeky glass of pink Prosecco, plenty of singing and a packed dance floor, everyone had a wonderful time.

We were also joined by Martin Logan from Irish TV, who spent time interviewing members and capturing the fantastic atmosphere at the club. Keep an eye out for us on Sky TV, where you’ll be able to see BIAS in action.

Our Thursday club welcomed back Anton, who had everyone up on the dance floor despite the hot weather. When the temperatures became a little too much, we took a well-earned break with quizzes and a lively game of Name That Tune before getting back to the music.

It was also a pleasure to welcome Deirdre Fraser, wife of the Irish Ambassador to the UK, to our Thursday club. She spent time meeting members and enjoying the warm, welcoming atmosphere that makes our clubs so special.

Coming Up:

• 18 July – Scéalta: Our Stories launch at the Railway Club.
• 23 July – Our annual seaside trip to Margate for a day by the sea.

Haringey Club Highlights

June got off to a fantastic start with live music from Anton at our Friday Hornsey Vale club, getting everyone singing, dancing and enjoying the afternoon.

We also held our Health and Wellbeing Event, bringing together local organisations to help members access information, advice and support. A big thank you to One You Haringey, ICAP, the London Irish Centre Survivors’ Service, the NHS Whittington Community Heart Failure Team, chair exercise leader Jim and our own BIAS Advice Team for taking part and making the day such a success.

Before the summer heatwave, we were delighted to welcome Finbar Black to our Tottenham club for another afternoon of fantastic live music.

July is another busy month across our Haringey clubs, with Glenn Flynn performing at our club, followed by our final Lunch Club on 24th July featuring live music from Declan Gaynor. We’ll then round off the month with our annual coach trip to Whitstable before taking a well-earned summer break in August.

Coming Up:

• 24 July – Summer party with music from Declan Gaynor at Hornsey Vale
• 31 July – Coach trip to Whitstable

Advisory Team Update

Our Advisory Team was kept busy in June, with more than 500 engagements across Brent and Haringey despite the warm temperatures.

Alongside supporting clients, our team completed specialist training focusing on housing, tenants’ rights and tackling poor housing conditions. If you are experiencing difficulties with your landlord or facing any other housing issues, please get in touch with our Advisory Team. We’ll do our very best to help.

Our telephone service is available Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 4.30pm. It is usually best to ring us before coming to visit.

Call us on 0208 459 6655, or drop us an email at welfare@biasbrent.co.uk

Benefit Highlight

Severe Mental Impairment: Council Tax Discounts

Did you know that if you or a member of your family has a Severe Mental Impairment (SMI) that affects cognitive ability, you may be entitled to an exemption or discount on your Council Tax bill?

People diagnosed with conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis, severe learning difficulties or brain injuries following a severe stroke may be eligible. Eligibility must be confirmed by a doctor, so please contact our Advisory Team on welfare@biasbrent.co.uk if you’d like to find out more about applying.

Universal Credit: Has your child left school or college this term?

You must tell the DWP immediately through your online Universal Credit account if your child has finished school, college or training.

Universal Credit child payments stop as soon as a young person leaves full-time education, starts an apprenticeship or goes to university. If you do not report this change before your current assessment period ends, you will be overpaid and will need to repay the money through automatic benefit deductions.

Action required: Log into your Universal Credit account, select Report a change of circumstances, and update your child’s details.

If your child is over 18, leaves education and claims Universal Credit in their own right, this will also affect your household’s Universal Credit award. Your Child Benefit for that child will also stop.

If you’re unsure how these changes may affect your household income, please speak to our Advisory Team on 0208 459 6655, or drop us an email at welfare@biasbrent.co.uk.

Free Community Transport Workshops

Transport for All is inviting residents of Enfield, Haringey and Hackney to take part in 90-minute co-design workshops to help shape the future of accessible transport in North London.

Why take part?

• £50 thank-you payment for participating.
• Free accessible minibus transport to and from the venue.
• Choose to attend either in person or online.
• Refreshments provided.

Dates and locations are currently being finalised. Register your interest now and you’ll be contacted as soon as sessions in your borough are confirmed.

How to register

Places are limited. To register your interest, contact Talia Veersawmy on 07523 696273 or email Talia@ctwf.co.uk

Thank you

As always, thank you for being part of the BIAS community. We’ll be back next month with more stories, photos and highlights from our summer activities, including our trips to the seaside and our cinema outing.