OneStonegrove is a church and community centre at the heart of the Stonegrove estate in Edgware. It’s run by Stonegrove Community Trust, a small charity led by local residents.
Who we are
Here for you. You don’t have to pay to be here. Come in, sit down, use the free coworking space or warm up in winter. And if something goes wrong on the estate, we’re here for that too.
Something to do. There’s a range of activities every week, run by us and our amazing partners.
Hire pays for the open door. More than half our income comes from hiring out rooms and renting space, not from grants. Every party, class and meeting in our halls helps keep the building open for everyone.
How it started
When the estate was rebuilt, local people wanted a community centre at its heart, run by and for the people who live here. In 2014 they set up Stonegrove Community Trust to make it happen. OneStonegrove opened with a party in summer 2016.
We share the building with St Peter’s Church, which has been part of Stonegrove since the late 1950s.
When the pandemic hit
On 17 March 2020, as lockdown loomed, the partners in our building met to plan. By that afternoon we were buying food containers and deep-cleaning the kitchen, and within 24 hours we were cooking. The chapel, which never gets warm, became our cold store.
Over the pandemic we made 250,000 meals for people who needed them, with volunteers from right across the community.
To cook good quality food for someone is to show them that they matter, and that you care.
Powered by the sun
In 2024 we switched on solar panels across our roof. They make far more electricity than the building uses, and the rest goes to the grid.
It took three and a half years to raise the money. We were told no, often. We kept going. A huge thank you to City Bridge Foundation, Barnet Council and the Greater London Authority’s London Community Energy Fund for having faith in us, and for understanding what we were trying to do.
Come and see us
Whether you live, learn, work or play here, we are one community, and OneStonegrove belongs to you.