Preserving and improving Firs Farm for the benefit of present and future generations
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Registered Charity 1177069
Love your green space

Preserving and improving Firs Farm for the benefit of present and future generations

Community Hub & Cafe

After years of fundraising, the Friends are pleased to share our café, toilets, and community space.

The Firs Farm Community Hub is unique in an Enfield park, as the Friends own the building, on a site leased from Enfield Council.

Under the terms of our Council lease, the Friends have appointed commercial operators to run the Hub, which includes Leons café. We are delighted to introduce the two local businesses helping us achieve our ambitions for Firs Farm.

Hub Management

The Hub is managed by Home Care Preferred (Social Enterprise). Managing director Ken Waterhouse is a Winchmore Hill resident and is well known to many local people as the founder of Homecare Preferred, offering care for people in their own homes. Ken has been involved in several local charity & community events over the years.

Ken’s team is led by Hub and Events Manager, Anastasia Scheepers. Their mission is to establish the Hub as a high-quality venue for a wide variety of activities, for people of all ages. He and his team will also be arranging events in the Hub.

The hub consists of:

  • Leon’s Café. Open 8am to 4pm, 7 days a week. (subject to seasonal time changes). Available for hire in evenings, subject to management approval.
  • The Nastri Room – An event space available for exercise classes, meetings, entertainment, small parties, community events, small exhibitions, seminars and much more.
  • Winchmore Sensory & Wellness Room (coming soon).
  • Changing Places Toilet (free for the public to use).
  • Shower & Referee Changing Room.
  • Home Care Preferred Social Enterprise office.

Richie Hardwicke & his team run Leon’s Café.  Current opening hours are 8am – 4pm, seven days a week. Longer opening hours are planned for the summer months.

The café offers artisan coffee and other hot & cold drinks and a menu of tasty snacks; served throughout the day. Richie sources from local suppliers where possible.

Richie’s mission is:

“to make Leon’s a family friendly space and relaxing destination; for you to enjoy when spending time around Firs Farm or meeting up with friends & family”

The interior of the café has been decorated using wood and a colour palette to reflect our natural surroundings. Tables and chairs are upcycled and we propose to decorate the walls with stunning photographs of Firs Farm wildlife and landscapes.

Local residents may know Richie as the owner of Chi Chis, the popular restaurant on the corner of Green Lanes and Barrowell Green. Richie is a man of many talents. He is a trained architect & furniture-maker and has also spent several years working in environmental sustainability, before opening Chi Chis in 2019.

Email richie@chichis.co.uk for further information.

Guest WIFI is available.

If your boots are muddy or you have a dog, café staff will be pleased to assist via the takeaway hatch.

Toilets

The Hub is a public building. Toilets are available for anyone to use during café opening hours.

The Friends are especially proud to provide a Changing Places toilet, for people with disabilities which make it difficult for them to use standard toilet cubicles. The Hub has the first Changing Places facility in a park in Enfield.

 

Hiring the Community Space

The Hub has fitness/play space, classroom/meeting room and a sensory room (not yet open). This will be available to hire from 7am – 10pm.

Bookings for the community space can be made through our online booking portal. Once booking is submitted, it is provisional until approved by the Hub management team, by email.

Please Book the Community Hub Online here.

Activities in the Hub

Take a look at the Friends of Firs Farm notice board within the Hub for details of Hub activities and forthcoming events.

You can find out about activities and events across Firs Farm Wetlands, Tennis Courts and Playing Fields on our dedicated page, which will be regularly updated.

Referees’ changing room

The Hub also has a referees’ changing room, to kickstart grassroots football again at Firs Farm, puns intended! It is reserved primarily for referees using Firs Farm pitches and can be booked via the online booking portal.

Sensory Room

We are proposing to have a dedicated sensory & wellness room for neurodiverse children and adults, However additional funding is needed to fit it out.  The Friends hope to open the room by the end of 2024.

Dog Policy

We know many Firs Farm dog walkers will be disappointed that dogs are not allowed inside the Hub, except for assistance dogs.

However, you can still enjoy Leon’s exceptional coffee and tasty snacks via our takeaway hatch; where doggy water and treats are also available. We’re also looking at other ways we can make dogs and their owners more welcome around the Hub, including an outside shelter for when the weather’s less kind.

Seating is available at the side of the Hub.

Our next fundraising campaign is to landscape the front and sides of the Hub. Soon, dog walkers and other Firs Farm visitors will have a comfortable outdoor seating area to enjoy.