The Haringey community gathered in Northumberland Park on Wednesday (15 March) to remember Keesha Sinclair and launch a new service to continue her legacy of work to support the health and wellbeing of local residents.
Keesha, who sadly passed away in July 2022, worked in Northumberland Park as a Local Area Co-ordinator with Haringey Council’s Connected Communities team. She initiated a range of local projects and initiatives, including the M Word, which provides vital information and education for local residents about the menopause.
Wednesday’s event, attended by Keesha’s family and former co-workers alongside Deputy Lieutenant for Haringey Bibi Khan MBE, Haringey Council’s Director of Adults and Health Beverley Tarka and members of the local Northumberland Park community, focused on women’s health and wellbeing. It featured arts and craft workshops and information stands for health and wellbeing services, as well as the unveiling of a new creative piece to celebrate Keesha’s life and legacy.
The event also marked the launch of a new service, Keesha’s Place, which will provide monthly free drop-in sessions at the Northumberland Park Community Resource Centre to give help, advice and information on women’s health and wellbeing issues.
This was part of Haringey’s programme of events and activities to mark Women’s History Month, our annual celebration of the inspirational women who have shaped our borough and world.
Beverley Tarka, Director of Adults and Health at Haringey Council, who worked with Keesha, said:
“It was amazing to be at the event on Wednesday to honour Keesha right in the heart of Northumberland Park, the community which she served so passionately. Keesha lived the values which we all aspire to in Haringey: she was caring, compassionate, and had a keen focus on the community. She is dearly missed by all of her colleagues and the residents she worked with.
“We’re very pleased to be able to continue Keesha’s legacy through the launch of Keesha’s Place, and I hope this vital service will provide high quality advice and information for women in Northumberland Park for years to come.”
Patricia Sinclair, Keesha’s mother, said:
“I can’t tell you how proud I am of the legacy that Keesha has left. She was a wonderful, wonderful daughter. She loved the community she worked with. Her legacy is one of support, loyalty, respect for the people she worked with, respect for the community she worked with, and the M Word project which she inspired.
“She had so much to give to the community, and to people in general, and that I think is the hardest part of what has been cut short – the work she was able to do, and what she was able to give to people. But hopefully that legacy will now be carried on by the individuals who are now taking part in that.”
