Love Golders PROJECTS +VISION

Projects + Vision.

Love Golders has several community members with a range of skills who are motivated to improving Golders Green.

This page shows an overview of some of the projects we aim to progress. They are just concepts at this stage, and they would require planning, funding and permission from various stakeholders to be taken to fruition. Community projects need peoples’ time, energy and money (through grants), so if you have an idea or would like to get involved in some of our current ideas, please contact us.

Golders Green Business Network

In March 2024 Love Golders won grant funding from the USPF fund with the aim to help the businesses of Golders Green increase their footfall and revenue. We initially pitched a concept for a Golders Green loyalty card which would encourage locals to frequent the High Street independent shops and restaurants more often.

However, due to the infancy of our organisation this project was shifted to phase 2. This meant that for the purposes of this grant we would first need to form a relationship with the local businesses, find out their thoughts (through a general survey) and build the foundation of a Golders Green Business Network.

To complete the grant requirements, we have recently hired Smarter Society to undertake a second, more focused survey. The outcome will include this report, plus a GG business network WhatsApp group will be given to Love Golders to manage. This network will enable us to directly communicate to the GG business owners and lay the foundations for future improvements to the GG high street.

Greening the Station

Good news! Love Golders has been awarded a Barnet Community grant to make Golders Green's tube station area greener and thus more welcoming to visitors and residents. Firstly, we are hiring a landscape gardener to create a planting scheme for the unloved patches around the station’s bus stops, toilets and waiting areas. We will then be able to call up local volunteers to dig in the new plants.

Secondly, we have been granted a trial run of a ‘book swap’ booth inside Golders Green tube station. Bring a book, take a book!

Thirdly, TFL will be replacing the notice board frames directly outside the tube station, giving us the opportunity to start using it as a noticeboard. We can then promote our Love Golders activities through posters to gain public awareness.

Lamppost Banners

Concept: Lamp post banner designs by local graphic artist Matt Wasser – highlighting Golders Green’s culture and heritage.

The Task: Golders Green’s sense of identity and pride needs a boost. Unlike some areas such as Hackney and Camden Town there is no public visual art in our High Street area and visitors have little indication of what our area is all about. The history of Golders Green and its famous residents also deserves to be celebrated.

Aims: To create a brand campaign for Golders Green by displaying famous iconography of our town. Its famous residents, buildings and diverse international food scene will be signposted for all to see. This will form part of our campaign to promote Golders Green as “NW11 – Food Heaven,” which we feature on our website and social media.

Why banners? Lamp post banners are non-intrusive, non-destructive (such as murals) can be easily changed and don’t need maintenance.

Way finding: The banners can be used as wayfinding if attached near places of interest. As Barnet’s funding for a wayfinding project was cut off, this could be another way of doing this. These banners can also plot a map, which can provide a walking tour of the area.

QR Codes: The addition of QR codes placed on stickers or temporary fixings at eye level or at the base of the lamp posts could be used to direct viewers to online info.

Continuity: Once the banner fixings are in place, the designs could be changed each year to fit with any local events we are planning.

Mural Artworks

We would like to create some fun, bright mural artworks in Golders Green town centre to transform the high street’s external environment and perceived identity. This will be the first project of its kind in Golders Green. Most areas have murals: for example, the abundance of street art in East London has created a fun, lively place to live, representing the multicultural community there and adding to its sense of identity.

We want to improve the perception of Golders Green by making it appear ‘cared for’ for residents, have day workers stay longer in the high street, and bring in more visitors from outside of Golders Green. Public artworks will send a signal of change in the area: setting the tone of things to come.

We have identified many walls in the area which have good potential for murals. However, these need permission. If you are a property owner and you would consider allowing your wall to be used, please get in touch.

If you are a local artist wanting to create a Golders Green themed artwork, do get in touch.

Street Lighting

Festoon lighting would bring some warmth and atmosphere to Golders Green’s high street area throughout the year. Trees are lit up in neighbouring towns such as Hampstead, Belsize Park and Cricklewood, yet Golders Green seems to have missed out! We could also use uplighting to highlight the architectural features of our beautiful (and often unnoticed) buildings. The cenotaph is an example of a prominent Golders Green landmark that would benefit from enhanced lighting.

Bee / Bug Hotel

The patch of land adjacent to the Finchley Road, behind the Golders Green Tube station is underdeveloped and have plenty of space for a feature of some kind. One of our town team members had the idea of creating a bee / bug hotel spelling out the words LOVE GOLDERS. This would have an environmental use and provide a landmark to send a warm greeting to visitors of Golders Green!

Golders Green Maps

Concept designs for a promotional map of the Golders Green high street area. We wanted a map to highlight our specialty cuisines: primarily Jewish, Middle Eastern and East Asian resturants. Once known as J-Town (for its Japanese residents and restaurants), Golders Green could now be said to be a K-Town (after New Malden), due to a growing number of great Korean restaurants and two Seoul Plaza supermarkets.

Golders Green also has many world food supermarkets catering to shoppers looking for Japanese, Korean, Philipino, Polish, Mediterranian foods and more.