Just before lockdown in March 2020 one of the residents of Netherlands Road in New Barnet invited other residents of the road to join a WhatsApp group, in order to look out for and support one another during the uncertain times ahead.  For many of us, this group has acted as a catalyst to get to know our neighbours better, whom we have lived alongside for years.  

Due to the coronavirus situation, one of our local charities, Friend In Need, has had to close many of the services that it runs, since the vast majority of its service users are over the age of 70 and are having to self-isolate. Instead FIN has set up a Covid-19 Community Response Team to give support to older and vulnerable people in our community.  With a significant loss of income for the foreseeable future, FIN is facing bleak times.

 https://www.fin-eastbarnet.org.uk/

On Sunday 26th April the 40^th London Marathon was due to take place.  Instead of this the organisers have come up with The 2.6 Challenge to raise money to help save UK charities.  The principle behind this challenge is to come up with an activity based around the numbers 2.6 or 26.  A number of Netherlands Road residents will be completing a marathon (26.2 miles) between us, by taking part in a series of 0.5 mile loops up and down our street.  Some people will run, others will jog, walk, scooter or even skip their way round!  We are grateful for our community and want to have chance to give something back.

If you are able to support us by donating some money to Friend In Need, however small an amount, that would be amazing!

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.