Community centres are a rare thing - sadly in more ways than one.

Firstly, pretty much everyone agrees that they provide something really special, that’s massively beneficial for all the people who use them.

And yet, they are also becoming vanishingly rare in terms of their survival. The long shadow of austerity cuts since 2010 suggests that 1,243 youth centres have shut down, 1,168 children’s centres have also closed, with over 800 libraries and civic spaces gone, too.

It’s an almost unimaginable societal betrayal, especially now we’re beginning to be aware of the damage the stay-at-home lure of apps and consumer-tech have done to our social capacity and mental health.

But this is not a rare bad news edition of Camdenist, I promise. Because right at the heart of Camden Town sits a cherished example of one such hub with solid support, which is thriving and excelling at providing all kinds of measurable social good, plus masses more, besides.

Yes, Castlehaven Community Association celebrates a fantastic 40 year anniversary with a suitably big free party this Sat 1st Aug. 40Fest sees a bumper crop of exactly what you’d expect: live music, great food and drinks, workshops and kids fun, craft stall and all the rest, spilling out across their fantastic park and surrounds all afternoon.

Back in 1985, the current rolling green hillocks of the park, its enviable sports pitches, horticultural gardens and the main boat-like multi-use buildings were little more than a derelict piano warehouse beside a WWII bomb-flattened piece of land, known all-too evocatively by locals at the time as ‘the tarmac’.

The organisation that carved out a home here has managed to navigate the dire austerity challenge through a mix of Camden’s enviably diverse set of funding sources, plus the total dedication of generations of local residents. One look at the green space, the top facilities and busy regular sessions taking place there reveals the real world impact of whole lot of love.

Such provision should be the right of every community, everywhere, and the fact that it’s is so often missing or hollowed out does not reflect well on the priorities of Late Stage Capitalist governments one bit. It is encouraging to see the new PM immediately pledging a proportion of his salary to a social facility rather like this up in his new Makerfield constituency, but it’s going to take a whole lot more work.

Author Emma Warren, who I spoke to recently at the new Museum of Youth Culture which is just down the road from Castlehaven, has become one of the UK’s most vocal advocates for these physical grassroots spaces. She sees them as having been the engine rooms for British culture, particularly where working class and immigrant communities had formative chances to make new music, dance together or simply hang out in a blessedly unstructured way a few times a week.

As her book on the subject, Up The Youth Club, (released this month in paperback) reveals, just as teen identities are being forged in these places, diverse groups are thrust into close proximity, which has undoubtedly helped to birth some of the UK’s globally celebrated culture, hybrid fashions and music such as drum & bass, UK garage and grime.

Without such space to meet others, today’s online silos risk stifling or at very least blanding out future cultural production, let alone robbing young people of some of the simple, non-transactional pleasures of the fleeting, idle days youth.

These centres are also a natural home for now all-too-rare intergenerational interactions, as those up at the other end of life’s fragile spectrum can also be encountered in healthy number, too. As first books, then the fall of organised religion, the coming of computers, and now AI increasingly serve to devalue the status of our elders - the wise women/men previously respected as the keepers of all the knowledge - it feels vital that younger people get a chance to chat to them in a respectful and potentially eye-opening way. We really do need to hold that space.

How is it even comprehendible that such vast cultural value has been stripped bare by the cutting of over 70% of funding in a mere decade and a half? What on earth have we lost? And, perhaps the more important question: how different would our creative and social landscape look right now if grassroots spaces were bestowed with same kind of riches and ambition as the industries they ultimately sustain?

But all this just makes the pockets of community centres that survive today that much more impressive and important.

This Saturday at Castlehaven will be a celebration of community spirit in the face of the numerous ongoing challenges out there. It’s also testament to the way that gathering together to learn things, play things or simply do nothing much in particular, will always land a massive positive impact - if it just has the simple resources required for these human essentials to be nurtured and to take place at all.

The epic month of 440+ exciting new shows in venues right across the borough has just kicked off, raising the question: how on earth do you sift through all that talent to find something guaranteed to delight you?

We’ve (hopefully) solve it here at Camdenist - by introducing the Camden Fringe Advisor, a knowledgeable chat service where you can input a theme you enjoy or mood that takes you, perhaps a favourite venue or a wildcard topic that might open your eyes to something exciting and new.

The agent then scans through all the shows in a flash and makes recommendations tailored just for you. Then go deeper into conversation to find out more, and when you’re done, hit the link for tickets direct from the official Camden Fringe website. Let us know what you think…

If you read Camdenist regularly, interact with the polls and links, or are a premium supporter, you may well have received a VIP invite to be among the first people to join our special community experiment. Check your inbox!

Once the early founders have helped shape the experience, we’ll open it up to a few more of you at a time, giving you access to special offers, social drinks invites and the chance to have a real say in how we celebrate and enjoy culture here in the Borough.

Meanwhile, here’s a question for all of you…

I took a trip to Lewis Cubitt Square yesterday to see their rather fun mid-summer pop-up, which offers something to do that’s free, arty and good for you, plus a little treat to try afterwards.

First designed for the Venice Architecture Biennale to address issues around urban space provision and access for children (interesting in the context of today’s lead story), Playframe has also been to the Glastonbury Festival in the years since, and now arrives in King’s Cross throughout August.

It gives climbers - of any age - a chance to scale its beguiling bars, upwards towards a kind of crows nest platform on top, offering an unusual aspect for peering into the windows of Meta HQ and down upon the al fresco tables of Mare St Market.

When you’ve got thoroughly sweaty doing that, look out for the next multisensory attraction available from the stall selling special limited-edition sculptural ice lollies, by artisan ice cream maker Araw.

I tried the purple ube and cheescake variety, (pictured in the lead image above) which is shaped like Coal Drops Yard’s ‘kissing’ roofs, and is a decadent little flavour-bomb on a stick, with a buttery finish. It was hard to say no to trying another one, especially as it offered the equally exotic flavour combination of pandan and mango trifle. I love pandan, and this was heavily infused with it, without any unwelcome over-sweetness from the mango either, resulting in a brilliantly refreshing and unexpected little snack - shaped like a dinosaur from the neighbouring Lightroom’s current prehistoric creatures show, to boot.

Araw’s founder, Keziah Manluctao, was on hand to serve the iced creations herself, bringing the flavours of the Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia to the fore in place of the usual mint choc chip or rum and raisin selections. They are a welcome reason to travel there this coming month, (and look out for an announcement of 100 free lollies up for grabs one day soon, which will be flagged up via the KX socials)…

King’s Cross was absolutely jumping in the blazing sun, even on a weekday lunchtime, with kids splashing on the Granary Square fountains ‘beach’ and all beanbags firmly occupied at the Everyman’s free cinema screen on the canal steps. We’ll be back for the kickoff of the beloved Summer Sounds concert programme in a couple of weeks too.

FESTIVAL: 🎺 Our friends at Save Our Scene and the Music Venues Trust are helping the legendary venue Ronnie Scott's put on a totally free Street Party on Frith Street, on Sat 1st Aug. Two outdoor stages will showcase the likes of Blue Lab Beats, Daniel Casimir Big Band, Shae Universe, Guvna B, Summer Pearl, NEONE the Wonderer, GRAMN. and masses more.

STAGE:🎭Camden residents whose experiences of loneliness and temporary accommodation inspired a new play will take to the stage to perform it themselves tonight, Fri 31 Jul-Sat 1st Aug, alongside professional actors. Dragonflies is the latest show in Hampstead Theatre’s ENGAGE programme launched after Camden’s 2024 State of the Borough Report found that 36.3% of adults experience loneliness some, most or all the time - the highest rate of any London borough. The play explores grief, resilience, belonging and the importance of the places that bring communities together.

FESTIVAL: 🌏 It’s the fifth edition of Regent’s Roots festival on Sat 1at Aug, bringing together the melting pot of cultures based around Euston’s Old Diorama Arts Centre for performances including Ukrainian folk songs, a ukulele band, majorettes, a South Asian heritage parade and masses of stalls with advice, things to do and food from Drummond Street’s many brilliant restaurants.

FOOD: 🍞The prolific spread of new branches of Sourdough Sophia shows no sign of abating, with the latest just opened in lovely urban oasis Neal’s Yard, in deepest Covent Garden. They’ve taken over what was previously The Barbary Next Door.

FESTIVAL: 🏛️ It’s the fabulous little Cally Clock Tower Festival on Sun 2nd Aug in Caledonian Park, celebrating the amazing heritage of the park and the livestock market that was there before it with tours, live music, bars, a dog zone and a woodland amphitheatre for classical music.

MUSIC: 🔊 There’s An Afternoon of Indie unashamed hits at the outdoor Camden Courtyard (behind the ‘Leccie Ballroom) on Sat 1st Aug for an over 30s crowd keen to relive their years of 70s punk, 80s new wave, 90s Britpop and beyond. Feeling Gloomy & Old School Indie DJ go back-to-back through until 9pm.

NIGHTLIFE: 🪩KOKO is the place to celebrate influential label Rhythm Section hitting 15 years old with founder and in-demand spinner Bradley Zero manning the turntables all night long tonight, Fri 31st Jul.

ART: 🧑🏼‍🎨 The Free Will Prison are behind the latest show at the Farsight Gallery, Beyond The Third Wave bringing together twelve leading contemporary artists whose work has become central to the conversation around politics, media, and visual culture in Britain, from Peter Kennard, to Cold War Steve, and Council Baby to Melville, the exhibition examines the visual and emotional landscape of the country in the aftermath of successive political and social crises. PV is on Thurs 6th Aug and the free show runs to 24th Aug.

CINEMA: 🎞️ Summer screens are seemingly everywhere, but a special one looks to be the Council’s own free open air silent cinema pop-up, slap bang in the middele of Camden High St on Thurs 6th Aug. Of the three films being shown, of most interest to culturally-minded locals will be Shane Meadows 2008 comedy-drama Somers Town, which is on at 6.50pm.