Anniversaries of events always seem to spark off reflection in us, often bringing up certain unexpected emotions but also reminding us of how far we have come since that time. We’re all currently experiencing our “one year since the first lock down” anniversary. A whole year of disrupted work, not seeing friends and family, masks and new rules. We’re all sick of it now, of course we all want to go back to normal, whatever that means. Reflecting back on what this past year has meant for us as a small business is hard, but overall positive. We’ve got the same team of people coming out as we had going in, we’re all so much closer and we have improved in every aspect of what we do.

We have also been reflecting on what has happened in our local community over the past year. Our NHS heroes and friends in hospitality who have had to adapt and change with every new tier that has been thrown their way. Our local church St John’s (tucked away in the residential streets behind Blackstock Road) have run a food bank and soup kitchen for a while but during the first lockdown they also set up and coordinated our local Mutual Aid group for the Brownswood Area. The use of the food bank and soup kitchen increased massively and they have served more meals to those in need in 2020 and the start of 2021 than ever before. They have been such an important community resource and it’s not just in our area that this is happening. 9 in 10 councils across the country have seen a rise in the use of food banks in the past year and 1 in 5 schools have set up food banks. 

St John’s rescue food waste and turn it into delicious meals for their guests. They also have a huge garden and grown their own fruit and veg. Zero food miles, yes please! They also give the café their surplus which makes it’s way into your brunch and lunch dishes. Did we mention free schools meals in school holidays? The fact that they’re trying to become an eco church? We could go on.

They have done so much for our Finsbury Park community and we need to support them as much as we can. They’re currently looking for Easter eggs or clothes and food donations which you can take to the church itself or you can donate money through their Bankuet page. 

Well done everyone at St John’s. Keep up the good work!