Alex Smith is the founder of North London Cares, a volunteer network supporting local people with a little extra help, time and companionship. He was previously an aide to Ed Miliband and editor of one of the biggest political websites in the UK, LabourList. Alex went to William Ellis School. He is an advisor to Future First and a governor at Holloway School.
When were you happiest?
It’s a cliché but going to LaSwap is one of the most enjoyable experiences any local kid can have, the golden years for my mates and me. We were Ellis boys, and all of a sudden there were girls about, and by extension pubs we could get into, so the whole dynamic of the social scene just blew up.
Where would you like to live in the manor?
As long as it’s in the quadrant between Highgate, Highbury to the east, King’s Cross to the south and Regent’s Park to the west I’m not that bothered, although Camden tube is the exact epicentre to me.
What is your favourite sound or smell?
Ah, the smell of the street dogs on a Friday night in Camden Town. Or my mum’s home cooking on a Sunday; I go every week.
What is your greatest life achievement?
The impact North London Cares had on getting people to help clean up after the riots – that was overwhelming. Obviously that particular movement outgrew us, but I think we were the first to suggest people get out there to reclaim the streets, and to mobilise people to get involved. That was how North London Cares launched. We were a little out of our depth – but it felt like the right thing to do and it makes me very proud.
What is your earliest memory?
Getting my first bike from Chamberlain’s on Kentish Town Road with my Dad, a rite of passage for every four-year-old kid, and a pilgrimage for local parents. I remember riding home at the absolute maximum speed that my stabilisers and the broken 80s pavements would allow.
What simple thing would improve your quality of life?
Getting a job that pays more and which gives me more time off. But I’m not wired that way. Saying that, deadlines create motivation – so kids might one day force me to buck up my ideas.
What is your most unappealing habit?
I’m not a very moderate person. It’s all or nothing, though my new year’s resolution this year was to change that. I normally ditch new year’s resolutions within three days – so the cycle goes on.
What is your favourite dish and why?
Spend time with the bangers & mash and calzones in various local establishments: The Red Lion and Sun, Al Parco, and Amici on Holloway Road. It’ll do you good.
What is your guilty pleasure?
I try to convince people I meet from all over the world to go to the Underworld. They normally look at me as if I’m mad or drunk, so I coax them instead to a night at the Enterprise followed by Marathon Kebabs: Camden’s best-kept secret double act.
Where do you hang out?
Anywhere on the stretch between Mornington Crescent and Highgate: the Blues Kitchen, Inverness Street, the Lock Tavern, the Abbey, the Oxford, the Vine, Al Parco and the Flask (see how they get gentler the further up the hill you go?). Oh, and a step further: the Boogaloo if Friday nights get serious.
What was your best gig?
Within north weezy it’s unquestionably Marcus Bonfanti at the Jazz Café in January. I may be biased (he’s one of my best mates) but Marcus is the most talented person I know from these parts. He was really nervous that no one would show up and as it happened, it sold out, the atmosphere rowdy as hell.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
Anyone who knows me really well understands that I’m perennially preoccupied by impending baldness and willing to discuss any strategy to stem it at any time of day.
What makes you unhappy?
Fewer things than used to, which is progress.
What has your career taught you?
That no one is going to hand you anything, so if you’ve got an idea or a passion or something to contribute, you’ve got to run with it, take risks to make it happen. And ultimately? Don’t give up until you feel you’ve made a contribution.
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