This week's newsletter of top stories and local listings is now out! Make sure to sign up so you stay in the know: bit.ly/EC1EchoNews Here's a taste of what you're missing. Lots of local stories and loads of listings this week - bit.ly/EC1Echo23rdJan

Islington Voluntary, Community, Faith, & Social Enterprise organisations are currently running a campaign to tackle poverty. Recent research estimates there is £120 million in unclaimed benefits in Islington, with over 34,000 Islington households missing out on vital support.

Sharing this! Islington Museum is launching an exciting new project — Build Your Own Museum — inviting Islington residents to help shape the museum’s family & community spaces, resources, & activities. The first round of events are aimed at families with children under 5...

Sharing this from Union Chapel... MAKING TROUBLE: a new musical panorama conceived, created, and performed by young musicians from Islington and North London... 9 February | 5pm doors, 6pm start Book free tickets at unionchapel.org.uk/venue/whats-...

Sharing this! The Stuart Low Trust's FREE Drama Performance Project for people who are socially isolated aged 18-35, starts with a taster session on 28 Jan. Email [email protected] to register your interest, and get full details about how to enrol on the course.

Fill in The Peel survey & be in with a chance to win a £100 Amazon voucher! Deadline 31 Jan 2026 We want to better understand the health & wellbeing of our community in Clerkenwell. Please share with family and friends too! Have your say. bit.ly/PeelSurvey2526 THANK YOU!

So much fun at our New Year's party this week! Our fabulous entertainer got the crowd up singing and dancing! What a great start to 2026! Normal Adult Social Club activities have now resumed.. See you at one of our activities/events very soon!

Sharing news of these local winter family-friendly events happening next week and the week after. Our very own Dave from Minds Matter Islington will be hosting a stall promoting ways to look after your wellbeing and mental health on these 3 dates, and in these locations...

"We need to fund the ‘glue’ of charities if we are serious about healing communities riven by division and increasingly susceptible to hate." @barelycivilsociety.bsky.social

Join us for a Table Top Sale. Mon 19th Jan, 1.30-3pm at The Peel. Come and have a look what we have on offer. Unwanted Christmas gifts and much much more! Everyone welcome! The Peel, 3 Corners Centre, Northampton Road, EC1R 0HU 020 7837 6082

🎧 Podcast: What does 2026 have in store for charities? @lrouse.bsky.social and Emily Burt lift the lid on the year ahead with @kateleeceo.bsky.social @ncvo.bsky.social

Your invited to share your story! Big or small, true or imagined, you don’t need to be a writer.📚 Stories will be printed on A4 and placed around Whittington Park for neighbours and wanderers to discover and enjoy. 🗓️ 2nd–9th Feb | 📍N19 4RS 📧 Submit: [email protected] bit.ly/49kbuIA

Save the date! Friday 30th January, 6-9pm Really looking forward to our first Dish & Jam of 2026! The Peel's Community Party - an event for all the family to enjoy. This month we have one of our own - DJ Willz teaming up with Mr.C...

Ads for jobs with a fantastic income, high pay for little work or no experience could be fraudulent, even luring you into money laundering/muling. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is! Find out more ➡️ https://www.getsafeonline.org/safejobseeking/ #SafeJobSeeking

This week is the beginning of the end of one of the worst policies for children in modern times. www.lbc.co.uk/article/scra...

This looks really interesting. Please share! In partnership with Humble AI, Better Space will be running a 4-part workshop series (exact dates TBC) for women and people who identify as women to explore AI.

Sharing this! Join Octopus Community Network, Islington Climate Centre and the Islington Food Partnership for Islington’s first Food Assembly on the 27th January! book.plinth.org.uk/e/QIWk2LlFpH...

We want to hear from you! Fill in The Peel survey and be in with a chance to win a £100 Amazon voucher! Deadline 31st Jan 2026 We want to better understand the health and wellbeing of our community in Clerkenwell. Have your say. bit.ly/PeelSurvey2526 THANK YOU!

Happy New Year!! Our latest newsletter is out now. You can pick up a copy at The Peel, and from several local venues and estates. Find out what's happening in January and a look back at last year's activities! It's also all on our website here: thepeel.org.uk/calendar-of-...

This January connect with your community in #Camden & #Islington We're excitedly planning for LGBT History Month & joining together at the British Museum, Cooking With Pride, LGBT Gardening & online at the forum+ Film Club! For full info check out our January Newsletter mailchi.mp/3e398a11f6c7...

A wonderful end to The Peel's Youth Club this year with our Christmas party! So much delicious food, amazing presents, and tons of fun! Thanks to all our volunteers, and all the generous donations to our toy appeal which enhanced the Christmas experience for our families.

A Cult Filmmaker Comes to Life at Clerkenwell’s Nickel Cinema Surya Anthony visits The Nickel Cinema in Clerkenwell for an indie film premiere www.ec1echo.co.uk/a-cult-filmm...

Sharing this for anyone who is going through a tough time right now. All these wonderful organisations are on the end of a phone, even over Christmas. CALM - 0800 585858 Mind - 0300 123 3393 No Panic - 0844 967 4848 Bereavement - 0808 808 1677 PAPYRUS - 0800 068 4141

PLEASE NOTE The last day for our Pret food pop-up over the festive period on the Finsbury Estate is Wed 17 Dec, returning Wed 7 Jan. Last day for the Brunswick Estate is Mon 22 Dec returning Mon 5 Jan. (This is due to the stores closing as they are in business areas).

Hundreds of "deaths in poverty" in Islington Hundreds of people in Islington spent their final months living in poverty last year, new analysis suggests. www.ec1echo.co.uk/hundreds-of-...

Sharing these festive events from Bright Start... Bright Start Christmas Singalong Sing winter favourites with Highbury Grove School and Finsbury Park Community Choir. Wednesday 17 December, 4:30–5:30pm Highbury Fields Wildlife Garden, N5 1QL

Thank you so much to Dorrington PLC for your incredibly generous donation of gifts for our Youth services and Community team! We are very grateful. THANK YOU!

Fill in The Peel survey & be in with a chance to win a £100 Amazon voucher! Deadline 31 Jan 2026 We want to better understand the health & wellbeing of our community in Clerkenwell & the wider area, & gain feedback about our services. Please share! bit.ly/PeelSurvey2526

Here at the Citizens Advice London office, we've been collecting donations for our local Trussell food bank in the lead up to Christmas 🎄 Find out how you can get support from a foodbank if you can't afford the food you need: https://bit.ly/3NO6alC #ChristmasAtCitizensAdvice

Sharing this from @thefelixproject.bsky.social, one of our community partners.. The Felix Project, in partnership with Cook for Good, will be distributing free fresh fruit & vegetables, Wed 17 Dec 1-2.30pm at Cook for Good, The Old Laundry, Priory Green, N1 9DG Bring your bags, boxes etc!

❗There’s been a 40% increase in emergency food parcels provided over winter in the last 5 years. Food prices have risen by 37% in the last 5 years, rents are skyrocketing, bills are crazy, and our social security system hasn’t kept up. People don’t have enough money to live.

Our Adult Social Club members got all Victorian and Christmassy at the Dickensian Christmas Festival in Rochester at the weekend! So much to see and do! #charlesdickens #AdultSocialclub #thepeelclerkenwell #adultsatthepeel

Our young coders designed snowflakes using code in this week's Code Club! Next week it's our last session of the year, and we've got a Coding Quiz. Code Club is every Wed at The Peel, 5-6pm, £1. 1st session of 2026 is Wed 14 Jan More info: [email protected] / 07919447074

Share the Joy this Christmas - Donate your surplus food Food donation appeal Closing date 17th December Please consider donating your unused or unwanted food to us before you close for the Christmas period, so we can share it with those in need.

More than 15,000 households on social housing wait list in Islington More than 15,000 households were on Islington's social housing wait list this year, new figures show. www.ec1echo.co.uk/more-than-15...

TOY DONATION APPEAL Support local families this festive season. We’re collecting new, unopened toys, books or gift vouchers to buy toys for local families. For boys & girls, 5-8yrs, 8-11yrs & 11-13yrs.

We have set up our student festive wellbeing event at @thepeelclerkenwell.bsky.social 4 - 6pm today. Chocolate games, decoration making and wellbeing tips.

Update for December. Our regular food pop-ups take place at The Peel, Brunswick Estate, & Finsbury Estate. No pop ups on Tue 23rd, Wed 24th & Tue 30th. Pret times over holiday period TBC. Thank you to Neighbourly, City Harvest & Pret A Manger for all your generous support.

Thanks so much to Sonia, Annette and Carlos from Seven Projects who popped over to see us, and donated some much needed winter coats and food to The Peel. They're coming back with more donations of toys, books and gift vouchers too!

Sharing this from The Felix Project, one of our community partners The Felix Project, in partnership with BETTER, will be distributing free fresh fruit & vegetables on Fri 12 Dec 12-2pm at Britannia Leisure Centre, Pitfield Street, N1 5FT Bring your bags! #foodinsecurity

The cost of living crisis may have peaked in 2023, but it never really ended. Living standards are still the biggest issue we're seeing. We need something beyond incremental change. Read more and join us for our next Data Insights event on Thursday 11 December ⤵️ https://bit.ly/48Y9XHR

Social Club had so much fun at the Business Design Centre's One day at Xmas today! Plus they got to hang out with the mayor! #Christmas #OneDayatXmas

London community groups reject 'ruthless new plans' on asylum reform 29 London community groups are joining 225 local groups from across the UK to sign an open letter to the Home Secretary www.ec1echo.co.uk/london-commu...

Can you spot yourself in our Christmas Fair photos? We had so much fun! Thanks to the fantastic Suzanne David who entertained us again! Well done to all the raffle prize winners and to all the children who have been good all year and got a present from Santa! #Christmas #ThePeel #ChristmasFair

Clerkenwell’s Radical Inns & Coffee Houses The latest in the excellent Reds on the Green series. www.ec1echo.co.uk/clerkenwells...

Fancy getting into the festive spirit? Why don't you pop by this evening and say hello? The Peel team will be around. See you there!🎄🎄🎄 Clerkenwell Green Festive event, Wed 3rd Dec, 4-7pm Craft market, mulled wine, school choirs, Christmas crooner, kids crafts, face painting, Santa, wreath making...

Fill in The Peel survey & be in with a chance to win a £100 Amazon voucher! Deadline 31 Jan 2026 We want to better understand the health & wellbeing of our community in Clerkenwell & the wider area, & gain feedback about our services. bit.ly/PeelSurvey2526

Our latest newsletter is out now. From next week you will be able to pick up a copy at The Peel, and also from Finsbury library, Pine Street GP surgery, the Amwell GP Practice on Naoroji St, and several venues in Exmouth Market. thepeel.org.uk/calendar-of-...

FEELING FESTIVE YET? We can't wait for this... IT'S TOMORROW! Fri 28th Nov, 3-6pm The Peel's Christmas Fair. FREE entry, all welcome! Free mulled wine, hot chocolate, mince pies and nibbles. The brilliant live singer Suzanne will be back to entertain us; and...