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March 2026 newsletter
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Welcome to the March edition of the Inclusion Barnet member newsletter!
It's full of information on developments at Inclusion Barnet, online resources, community events, access tips and ways to be heard. You'll also find some of the top national news affecting Disabled people including those with mental health issues and long-term conditions.
To find out more about each article, just click on its title.
Inclusion Barnet news
As we head into March, there’s lots happening across Inclusion Barnet that we’re excited to share with you.
First up, a reminder that our Annual General Meeting (AGM) takes place online on 10 March. It’s a chance to hear key updates, have your say, and help shape our plans for the year ahead. All the details and joining information are available on our website: AGM information & booking
Nationally, we’ve been highlighting why Disabled people must be fully involved in shaping the services and policies that affect our lives. Our latest Campaign for Disability Justice blog, Piloting Our Own Plane, sets out why this matters more than ever, and how real change only happens when Disabled people lead the way.
Meanwhile, this month’s member meeting will include a dedicated session with a representative from the Royal Free NHS. They’d like to hear about your experiences of using A&E at Barnet Hospital or the Urgent Care Centre at Chase Farm and discuss how reasonable adjustments could be improved. More on this in the main newsletter.
We hope to see you at one of these events, your voice genuinely shapes what happens next.
Kind regards,
Claire Fisher
Head of Communications and Engagement
Inclusion Barnet AGM, Tuesday 10 March, 4.00 - 5.30pm
There's still time to book to join our AGM!
- By email: membership@inclusionbarnet.org.uk
- By phone: 0203 475 1314
- By text: 07719 105 534
Taking place online via Zoom.
Our CEO will be presenting on our achievements and new projects. Then you’ll be invited to vote on election and re-election of our Trustees and any new proposals.
Please let us know of any accessibility requirements when booking.
What would make urgent care easier when you’re unwell?
Join us on Friday 20 March, 1.30–3pm (online) for our next Member Meeting. IVAR and the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust would like to hear what reasonable adjustments in A&E at Barnet Hospital and the Urgent Care Centre at Chase Farm would help make the experience work better for you. More info and joining details in our blog post.
Touchpoint Benefits Advice service reopens!
We are delighted to announce that our Touchpoint Benefits Advice service,has reopened to new referrals! The service supports Disabled people in Barnet to access the social security benefits to help provide essential support for everyday living.
Find out more on our website, or contact the team for more information by phone 0203 475 1305 or email benefits@inclusionbarnet.org.uk.
Touchpoint Peer Support
Due to the unprecedented number of referrals earlier this year into our Touchpoint Peer Support service, we have taken the decision to pause to new referrals for a short period of time. We will let you know when we can take new referrals.
Healthy Heart making a real difference to health outcomes!
The Healthy Heart team have been busy at a number of outreach events in Barnet throughout February, providing over 100 interventions to local people. while also celebrating British Heart Foundation – Heart Month.
Find out how the team are making a real difference to health outcomes in this report from Dr. Mohammed Jawad, Deputy Director of Public Health.
The team are also excited to be undertaking the Green Doctors' training delivered by Groundworks, as well as the RSPH CORE20PLUS Train the Trainer accreditation. The latter will be brought to staff and volunteers in Barnet partner organisations.
Come and see the team at the following events in March and April!
Library outreach events
- 5/3 @ Colindale
- 11/3 @ Burnt Oak
- 13/3 @ Golders Green
- 24/4 @ Hendon
Men’s wellbeing event
27/3 @ Everglades Medical Practice
Grief Café at our own South Friern Library and other locations
North London Hospice offers gentle, compassionate support for anyone who is grieving across Barnet, Enfield and Haringey. They do this by running free grief cafés at:
- South Friern Library, Colney Hatch Lane, Barnet, N10 1HD. Second Thursday of the month - 11am-1pm
- Finchley Church End Library, 318-320 Gateway House, Barnet, N3 2LN - First Friday of the Month - 10am-12pm
- Enfield Town Library, 66 Church Street, Enfield, EN2 6AX. Second Tuesday of the month - 10am-12pm
- North London Hospice Wellbeing shop, 97/98 The Mall Shopping centre, Wood Green, N22 6YD, 4th Wednesday of the month - 12-2pm
These sessions are free to attend and open to everyone. They offer a gentle, supportive space where you can share your grief and receive understanding and comfort from others.
Training opportunity from Inclusion Unlimited: Move beyond tick-box engagement
If you or your organisation wants to build genuine, trust-based relationships with the communities you serve, why not book a place on this Inclusion Unlimited training? It offers real tools for listening, learning and creating change with people, not for them.
Wednesday 18 March, 10.30am - 1.30pm. Online.
No starters or leavers this month.
Opportunities to create change
Visit our consultations and campaigns page on the Inclusion Barnet website for all the latest opportunities to have your say on local and national issues that impact Disabled people in Barnet.
It’s surprising, but some local consultations get as few as 14 responses*. Low numbers like these mean our community can help shape what happens in Barnet when we speak up together.
Here are opportunities to get involved in this month:
More ways to get involved
- Find all of Barnet Council's consultations on the Engage Barnet website.
- Visit our consultations and campaigns page on the Inclusion Barnet website.
*For example: Barnet Council's proposed Fees and Charges 2024-25 for services, which got 14 online responses.
Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) Victim Voice Forum
MOPAC Victim Voice Forum are inviting Londoners with lived experience of crime to apply to join a programme designed to improve how victims are treated by the police and support services. The forums bring together people from communities with lower levels of trust in policing, including victims of violence against women and girls, Black communities, Disabled victims and LGBTQ+ victims. Members share insight, challenge existing practices and help shape future policies and services, ensuring victim voices are central to change. Forums will meet regularly in a safe, supported environment and participants’ time will be recognised and reimbursed. The programme aims to rebuild confidence, improve victim care and ensure real experiences influence decision-making across London’s policing system.
Find out more and obtain an application form from: victimvoice@mopac.london.gov.uk
Disability Rights UK survey on an accessibility act
Let's make the case for an accessibility act where environments, information, policies and processes are designed with Disabled people in mind so that we are fully included and able to participate in all aspects of society.
Local and London news and events
Free medicines for people on a low income
If you're on a low income you might be eligible for some free medicines - speak to your local pharmacy to find out if you are eligible,
Conditions covered include constipation, diarrhoea, earache, head lice, indigestion, hay fever, haemorrhoids, allergies, vaginal thrush, nappy rash and teething.
More information and find your nearest participating pharmacy
Barnet Participation Summit (from Healthwatch Barnet), Wednesday 25 March, 2.00pm
Grahame Park Community Centre, The Concourse, Colindale, London, NW9 5XB
An event for anyone who uses NHS services in Barnet to find out more about how you can feed back and influence health and adult social care. It will also be an opportunity to find out more about how you can stay well and connect with other people and groups in Barnet.
If you have accessibility needs and questions, email info@healthwatchbarnet.co.uk
The event is step free, on the ground floor and there is a Disabled toilet.
Online and national resources
Living Made Easy is the charity previously known as the Disabled Living Foundation.
It provides free impartial advice and information on solutions, gadgets, adaptations and aids to make life easier.
Together! 2012 promotes the rights of Disabled people to access the arts on an equal basis, both as artists and as audience members.
The Snowdon Master’s Scholarship aims to accelerate exceptional Disabled students through master’s study and into leadership in all its forms. Worth up to £30,000 payable as a contribution of up to £15,000 towards fees paid directly to your university, and a further £15,000 paid to you in termly instalments to cover living expenses over the duration of your Master’s study.
Application deadline 19 March.
National news - local impact
Access Tips
Warning: This section includes mentions of suicide.
An app designed to help neurodivergent people (especially autistic individuals and families) discover and rate sensory-friendly, inclusive places around the world.
A free app for finding and marking wheelchair accessible places.
Be My Eyes connects blind or low vision users who want assistance, with volunteers and companies across the world, through live video and AI.
Seeing AI is a free app that narrates the world around you. Designed with and for the blind and low vision community, this ongoing research project harnesses the power of AI to open up the visual world. Seeing AI assists with daily tasks from reading, to describing photos, to identifying products, and more.
This free app helps Disabled people find accessible places. Wherever you're going, get accessibility information on your smartphone.
British Transport Police 61016 texting service
A non-emergency texting service for contacting the British Transport Police discreetly. You can text 61016 when:
- You want to tell BTP about an incident that has already happened
- You want to tell BTP about issues affecting your rail journey or your local station
- You have a general police enquiry
Suicide Prevention Stay Alive App
The Stay Alive app is a pocket suicide prevention resource, with information for those at risk of suicide and people worried about someone. It includes: strategies for staying safe, how to help a person thinking about suicide, and access to Barnet services and support.
Support with technology from Jewish Care
Jewish Care Explore offers support with technology to all adults within the Jewish community. Learn more about Jewish Care Explore's technology support.
Register for 999 text services
999 offers a text reporting service for members of the public who may be unable to call in an emergency. Text 'register' to 999, and then confirm 'yes' when you receive a response. Once this is complete, you will be able to text 999 in an emergency situation and the police will respond.
Be an inclusion champion
Accessibility in our parks and open spaces
We are lucky in Barnet to have a lot of public parks and open spaces. Here are some possible ways to help make them accessible and inclusive as we move into the spring. Or perhaps have a think about what in your view would aid accessibility in our green spaces!
Leaving paths open makes it easier for wheelchairs, strollers, and slower walkers to get through.
Keeping music and games at a moderate volume (or using headphones) can help the park stay comfortable for people who want quiet.
Sharing tables and open areas can help others feel welcome.
Remembering that people use parks differently - socialising, exercising, or just being alone - can help everyone feel respected.
Picking up litter, following pet rules, and keeping paths clear can help the park stay accessible and enjoyable for everyone.
Let's help everyone in or visiting Barnet enjoy nature!
Join us
Share YOUR lived experience:
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Individual membership is FREE and is for Disabled people, which may include long term conditions or mental health issues, and/or carers. Find out how being a member and sharing your lived experience can lead to positive change on our website.
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About Us
Inclusion Barnet is a Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisation (DDPO), based in Barnet, North-West London. This means that all of our Trustees and most of our staff have lived experience of disability. Learning to use lived experience for social change is a skill. We use this understanding to design and deliver higher quality, more person-centred services.
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We're calling on the Government to work with organisations led by Disabled people to make employment easier to access and to improve social security so that everyone can live a decent life, whether they’re in work or not.
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