The Heart of Wembley Festival is pleased to have a wonderful group of organisations participating again in this year’s event. Be sure to stop by for a chat, get more information about services or events. The Wembley Futures Big Local team will be there with more details about current activities and upcoming plans for Wembley Central and for the year ahead. Wembley Central Safer Neighbourhood Police will also be on hand to hear any concerns you may have.

The Heart of Wembley Festival will be held on Saturday 20 July from 1-6pm, on the pavement along Wembley High Road from the junction with Park Lane towards the Triangle.

Keep Wembley Tidy

British Gurkha Nepalese Organisation

Groundwork

Sufra

Wembley Futures

IYFA

Daniel’s Den

Friends of Barham Library

Dr Bike and Rollapaluza

Inner Space

Brent Public Health

Safer Neighbourhood Policing

Beat FM

Rockstar Cheer Squad

Wembley Crime Prevention

Anthology

On Saturday 20 July, Wembley High Road the place to be! Join us at the Heart of Wembley Festival for a fun-packed day of performances and street theatre, not to mention a fantastic Children’s Corner and market! The Festival will be open from 1-6pm, on the pavement along Wembley High Road from the junction with Park Lane towards the Triangle.

This year’s festival will feature the following talented performers:

Udenson Caldbeck Associate’s Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy bid on behalf of Cricklewood Town Team was recently awarded funding by the London Borough of Brent for the Oaklands Road Playable Street Project. Preparatory work for the project has commenced, with civil works due to start in January 2020 and to complete in spring 2020.

Oaklands Road Playable Street addresses the problem of the congested environment, air pollution and lack of public space in Cricklewood town centre. Oaklands Road is a side street with mainly residential use, yet it has Cricklewood’s highest level of footfall crossing the intersection with the Broadway.

The overall aim of the project is to provide an oasis of calm off the busy A5 corridor. The project will pedestrianise part of Oaklands Road by closing off vehicular access from the Broadway to Oaklands Mews, removing the current high levels of illegal parking, idling, and the dangerous pedestrian crossing at the junction. It will also establish a less congested environment for the long-standing fruit and vegetable stall and an accessible footpath.

Cricklewood town centre suffers from an imbalance between trips, freight and public space, with Cricklewood Broadway’s air pollution levels among the worst in both Brent and London as a whole. The junction of Cricklewood Lane and Cricklewood Broadway (the A407/A5), is ranked the 10^th worst in London by the Mayor of London’s London Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (LAEI) 2013 Air Quality Focus Areas – updated December 2016.

In 2016, a local organization, Clean Air for Brent with the help of London Sustainability Exchange monitored the pollution levels of nitrogen dioxide and particulates in the Cricklewood area, and Cricklewood Broadway’s nitrogen dioxide levels, especially around the junction close to Oaklands Road, were found to be over twice the EU legal limit. The Playable Street project will take a step towards reducing Cricklewood Broadway’s pollution, by introducing street trees, a living wall, and air pollution monitoring and reduction measures.

As a reclaimed street, Oaklands Road will provide pedestrians and residents with access to a calmer, less polluted and more interactive public space at the heart of Cricklewood that fosters an oasis of serenity and stimulating social space for local people, especially families within the immediate vicinity. The project will include an innovative musical installation, Press Play, by award-winning Hellion Trace to launch the new space and promote local participation. Press Play works by installing simple, touch sensitive panels programmed with a musical track, yet to play a whole piece several people must to play together. Udenson Caldbeck Associates, together with Cricklewood Town Team will draw up a programme of activities for the new space to ensure that it is regularly activated.

Cricklewood Town Team is leading the Management Committee and Udenson Caldbeck Associates as project managers, with Brent Council providing the civil engineering works. Information and updates about the project, as well as statutory consultations, will be made available to local residents during the project.

On Saturday, 20 July 2019, Wembley Futures Big Local will be hosting the fourth annual Heart of Wembley Festival. This vibrant community event will take place in Wembley town centre, along the pavement space from Park Lane junction with the High Road towards the Triangle, from 1pm to 6pm. It will be an activity-packed day that will have something for everyone, both big and small.

The Festival is one of the activities by Wembley Futures Big Local, one of 150 recipient groups across the UK to be awarded funding by The Big Local, a long-term innovative programme that aims to achieve lasting change in communities.

The Heart of Wembley Festival will celebrate the diversity and community in Wembley Central through a mix of both local and professional music, talented dance performances, fragrant food, bright colours and vivid fabrics of the performers’ costumes.

The atmosphere will be charged with a lively programme of vivacious voices and spirited sounds animating the High Road.  The stage will feature music spanning the genres including Afro-Funk and Highlife, Swing music, soulful ballads and folk songs, the rhythms of the Calypso music of Trinidad and Tobago, plus Dhol drumming.

Festival goers will be treated to the big band sounds and moves of the Lindy Hopp, while traditional dancers will conjure a voyage from India, Africa, and the Caribbean with their intricate performances.

The Festival market will feature tastes from around the world, with vendors offering authentic African and Spanish street food, plus delicious American burgers, scrumptious cakes and sweet treats. Stop by for gorgeous gifts, including jewellery, plants, and health and well-being products.

Family activities will abound, with bubbles, a fun-filled magic show, and awe-inspiring street theatre artists. The Children’s Corner will have face-painting, craft-making and a children’s ride provided by Irvin Leisure.

The ever popular Rollapaluza and bike repair is provided by Brent Cycling. Have a chat with the always-welcoming community stalls, and stop by the Wembley Futures Big Local stall for more details about current activities and upcoming plans for Wembley Central and for the year ahead. Wembley Central Safer Neighbourhood Police will be on hand to hear any concerns you may have.

Francis Henry, Chair of Wembley Futures Big Local, said: “I hope to see both new and familiar faces at the Festival in July. We are building on the success of the previous three years’ Festivals and look forward to a great day out with friends, family and neighbours. We encourage local residents to get involved in Wembley Futures and welcome new ideas to make Wembley Central a better place to live and work. Heart of Wembley Festival 2019 promises to be a fun-packed day.

For more information please contact Osita Udenson on 07875 588 107 or udenson@btinternet.com.

On Saturday, 20 July 2019, Wembley Futures will be hosting the fourth annual Heart of Wembley Festival. This vibrant community event will take place from 1-6pm in Wembley town centre, along the pavement space from the Park Lane junction with the High Road towards the Triangle. Don’t forget to stop by the stalls selling a wonderful range of food, drinks, gifts, fashion and more.

The Festival market will feature tastes from around the world, with vendors offering authentic African food from African Rose Catering, Spanish street food from The Circus Bros, plus delicious American burgers from Jackalope’s All American. Benarii will have scrumptious cakes and other sweet treats, Gee’s Grenada Chocolate will have organic chocolate and Mount Pure Natural Mineral Water from the spice isle of Grenada, and you can relax with a refreshing mocktail from drinks specialists Coco & Vanilla. Stop by for gorgeous gifts, including jewellery from Mythical Jewellery, cushions and textiles from Dexterous Designs, plants from Alex the Plant Guy, and health and well-being products from Forever Living.

On Saturday 15 June, the Mill Hill Summer Festival is pleased to feature Odinani performing ‘The Lagos Jump Session!’ – a showcase of Afro-Funk and West Highlife (1966-1979) celebration of Funky Lago of the late 1960s and 1970s. A time of heady excitement, optimisim and raw energetic youthfulness in the city that was, and remains, one of West Africa’s vibrant cultural hubs. The Highlife and Afro-Funk sounds were the sound-track to the life of a young nation, thrust into the mixed fortunes of political crisis and economic boom. A sound largely influenced by Latin, US Soul and Jazz genres, but grounded in African traditional rhythms.

Odinani comprises veterans of some of Africa and the UK’s finest Afro-Fusion bands, such as the legendary Osibisa, Funkees, Labaja, Jimi Solanke and Yung Afrika Pioneers.

Don’t miss Odinani on stage in Mill Hill Town Square by Boots from 2-3pm on Saturday 15 June!

On Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 June, Mill Hill town centre will again host the On Broadway Summer Festival.

The Festival will feature a market with a selection of quality stalls, including delicious street food, cakes and artisan foods, plus gifts, crafts and local community stalls located between Santander bank and Mill Hill Wines.

On Saturday, from 1-6pm, the Town Square by Boots will host an afternoon of music and dance, featuring professional, student, and local performers. The always popular London Belles will be returning with their chic vintage music, and Afro-Funk and West Highlife band Odinani will be performing ‘The Lagos Jump Session’, largely influenced by Latin, US Soul and Jazz genres but grounded in African traditional rhythms.

On Sunday, the Town Square will be transformed into a play space with children’s play equipment, games, and Zumba classes from 1-5pm. Stop by for some games as well as soft play fun with Spinning Top Activities as they Town Square becomes a playground for the afternoon!

Mill Hill town centre is the place to be for Father’s Day, with great food and activities for all!

The Mill Hill Summer Festival is part of the programme of events known as Mill Hill Markets, an initiative organised by Mill Hill Neighbourhood Forum and Vibe Market. The markets aim to increase dwell time and footfall for the town centre, and add vibrancy to the high street.

The calendar for 2019 includes the the return of the French Market on 1-2 November, and the Christmas Lights Switch On and Festive Market 30 November and 1 December.

On Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 May, Muswell Hill town centre will again get a taste of France. The authentic “France at Home” market comes straight from Normandy and will be visiting Muswell Hill, with a selection of delicious foods and quality gifts, fashion accessories and home wares. The market will be open from 9am to 5pm on Saturday and from 10am to 4pm on Sunday.

The market, which will be located outside Planet Organic in St James Square, has recently made visits to two north London town centres – Mill Hill and Cricklewood – and gained a loyal following.

The French Market visit aims to increase dwell time and footfall for the town centre, and add vibrancy to the high street.

Osita Udenson, managing director for Vibe Market, said: “We are excited to bring the French Market to St James Square. As a visiting market, its specialist products will complement the existing offer on the High Street. We look forward to seeing a bit of Normandy in Muswell Hill.”