North London Food & Culture

MUST DO: 7 feelgood local ideas for January

Don't fancy getting stuck into the gym, dryanuary or yoga classes? Here are some more imaginative ways to reboot this month

Ditch the Kindle and pick up a new used book at the new shelf at Kentish Town West. Photo: SE
Recycle any unwanted books in your collection at the new bookshelf at Kentish Town West. Photo: SE

1. The bookshelf set up by Francisco at Kentish Town West provides Overground commuters with a decent range of tomes to read. But they need more donations so why not go through your own thoroughly and give what you can?

Kentish Town's affordable scheme to eat healthily. Photo: Veg Box
Kentish Town’s affordable scheme to eat healthily. Photo: Veg Box
2. The Working Men’s College (WMC) in Kentish Town offers printmaking, book-binding and etching in their lovely Victorian building on Leighton Place. Students use the traditional processes to achieve the effects of etching and printmaking – hard to find nowadays. Courses listed here.

3. VegBox is a local community initiative: organic vegetables are sourced locally and delivered weekly to a local hub by bike and cargo trailer, saving carbon emissions and the earth from noxious pesticides. More info here.

4. Green Gym takes over local spaces for volunteers to come and garden them. Savings and exercise all rolled into one. More info? Call Pete on 07769 642395.


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5. The Re-start Party teaches people to fix their own electronics as opposed to binning them. Also incorporating ‘Cracked It’, a group of young people who can and are trained fix phone screens. More details here.

Every month at the Grafton: pick up some new clothes. Photo: Swapoholics
Every month at the Grafton: pick up some new clothes. Photo: Swapoholics
6. The Clothing Swap, now in its third very successful year, happens every second Saturday monthly at The Grafton. Saves thousands of clothing items from landfill and save money too. More info? Head here.

7. Spare food to give? Olio is now launched all over London, with ideas on how to cut down on food waste and save money. We have an interview with the founders in our next print issue out on Jan 15, but in the meantime find out more about them here.

With thanks to Julietta Cochrane for her research.

Do you know of a feelgood January pursuit for readers to get stuck into? Share it below.


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The award-winning print and online title Kentishtowner was founded in 2010 and is part of London Belongs To Me, a citywide network of travel guides for locals. For more info on what we write about and why, see our About section.