Our Centre
The Cherry Lodge Cancer Information and Support Centre is conveniently situated at Howard House, 23 Union Street, in the heart of Chipping Barnet. It is easily accessible by bus and underground train, or, if you come by car, there is on-street parking nearby (Blue Badge or payment by mobile phone) as well as a large paying car park at the Spires Shopping Centre (entry from Stapylton Road).
We moved into our present building in 2004, having previously been located in a prefabricated building, called Cherry Lodge, at Elmbank in the grounds of Barnet Hospital. Then, on 16th February 2009, thanks to a legacy from Beryl and Kirk Howard, two of our original members, we were able to purchase the premises and thus help secure our future. The name of the building was changed from Southgate House to Howard House in their memory. (Click History to read more.)
It has always been a priority to make our Centre non-clinical in appearance and atmosphere. The front door is painted a cheerful bright blue and to either side of it there is a small garden. This garden was established following a generous donation, in the form of a legacy, from the uncle of a former member, Pamela Donn, and is dedicated in her memory.
Inside the Centre, on the ground floor, there is a welcoming reception area manned by friendly and helpful volunteers. Wall racks are stacked with booklets and leaflets on cancer-related topics, mostly from Macmillan Cancer Support. To the rear is a meeting room, called the Andy Weekes Room, in Andy’s memory and in recognition of the stalwart fundraising efforts of Summer Soulstice. Connecting these two rooms are large, soundproof, folding doors (new in 2016), which can be opened to create a large space for meetings or hospitality.
Also on the ground floor are two spacious therapy rooms, which we were able to remodel, refurbish and fit out to a high standard with money from the Caron Keating Foundation, Oil Aid and other donors, including, in 2019, a donation from Howard Cooper in memory of his wife Carolynne. Our tour of the ground floor ends with another small therapy room, a small service area with dishwasher and fridge, and two toilets (one of which is suitable for people who are disabled). Upstairs, there is another large therapy room, a quiet room, an interview room, offices for Cherry Lodge staff, another toilet and a small kitchen.
In addition to the donors mentioned above, we would also like to thank all the other individuals and organisations who have contributed to the fabric and running of our Centre with their gifts of money, furniture, pictures, supplies and time. We are especially grateful to the Hadley Trust for their generous donations over a period of many years. Past funding from the former PCT and later from the London Borough of Barnet was extremely useful and much appreciated. We additionally wish to thank all those organisations, large and small, that have adopted Cherry Lodge as their charity of choice.
