Castlehaven and Tier 2

 Tue, October 20, 2020

All London boroughs, including Camden entered tier 2 restrictions at midnight on Friday 16th October. As a charity we are constantly adapting to provide vital services to the community, whilst sticking to government guidelines and ensuring the safety of our service users.

The new restrictions mean we can no longer run our over 60yrs+ (Ageactivity 60+) activities within the community centre. The sessions that were happening within the building will move online adding to our already extensive list of virtual activities for Ageactivity 60+ members. Explore our calendar to find out more about our popular sessions, which include Chi Kung, Ballroom Dancing, Coffee & Chat sessions, historical presentations and exercise classes. If you are aged 60+ and are interested in learning new skills, enquire about membership today by calling 020 7692 2238, or emailing rosa@castlehaven.org.uk  Our dedicated older persons project team have been extremely busy during the pandemic, regularly talking to members and vulnerable local residents, signposting them to relevant services, as well as providing much needed social interactions over the phone, through the post and via Zoom. We are committed to tackling social isolation and are always eager to help Camden’s older population.

We support a huge number of young people via our extremely popular projects: Activ8 (8-13yrs) and Youth Hub (13-19yrs), that provide an array of activities such as chess, martial arts, basketball, football training and cookery, not forgetting information and guidance. We can currently continue these sessions based on government guidance; however, we will adapt the sessions if required, always following our Covid 19 risk assessment.

Our Sports Pitch is currently a hive of activity and will remain open, operating within tier 2 guidelines. It is the setting of our Activ8 football sessions and the Youth Hub. As a charity we actively promote and encourage healthy lifestyles. That is why we open up our Sports Pitch to under 18s free of charge between 4-6pm Mon to Fri. We want local young people to fully utilize these amazing facilities during our Community Pitch Access time. If you’d like to make a Sports Pitch booking,  please use the Playfinder app. We can accommodate a variety of organized team sports and booking types on the Covid-19 risk assessed facility. Our Sports Pitch is a not for profit business with 100% of its profits going back into the community, so your next fitness session could be providing a much-needed lifeline to somebody who is struggling.

Castlehaven is so much more than a community centre. We also manage the surrounding 4 acre site, which includes the Community Park (Camden Town’s largest green space), Horticulture Hub and Sports Pitch. We currently provide weekly online (Zoom) environmental, horticultural and creative workshops for adults of all ages. Plus we are always looking for enthusiastic volunteers to help maintain the Community Park, especially now Autumn is here and the leaves are starting to fall. If you’d like to volunteer and give back to your community, please email nichola@castlehaven.org.uk, or call 020 7692 2241.

The Castlehaven Foodbank will not be affected by tier 2 restrictions. We shall continue to feed local people adversely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The service has fed thousands of local people since June, and we predict an increase in demand due to furlough scheme winding down as the second wave hits the UK.

If you have been directly affected by C-19 pandemic and would like to access emergency food, please call us on 07776724099 between Mon-Weds. Or if you wish to help us #FeedTheCommunity, please donate  – Castlehaven Foodbank Appeal.  The service relies on the generosity of volunteers, to apply please email sharon@castlehaven.org.uk.

We are also providing much needed support for the LGBTIQ+ community in partnership with The Outside Project. Each Monday we host an online creative community gathering that’s served as a lifeline to so many during this difficult period.

As a charity, we are always looking for new ways to support our community, so if there isn’t a service here you can access, don’t worry, we can still help and point you in the right direction. Contact us today by calling 020 7485 3386, or emailing info@castlehaven.org.uk.

Stay safe and healthy.