[First published by LBHF Council on 22 January 2021]

Nearly £10,000 has been paid out in the last week to support families and children in Hammersmith & Fulham.

The money will directly help grassroots projects in the borough, supplying food and other essentials to those most in need, with one of the awards assisting the families of young people at risk of violence.

Set up by Hammersmith & Fulham Council to channel government grant aid to where it’s most needed, the Winter Wellbeing Community Fund has already distributed £85,000.

Last week, four groups were awarded a total of £9,600 in the latest aid distribution; one beneficiary being The Violence Intervention Project (VIP), set up in 2017 to steer young people away from violence and help them rebuild their lives.

 

VIP’s mantra is ‘short-term work, long-term relationships’, and its focus is on breaking the cycle of violence which can blight the lives of young people aged 12 to 25.

“We work flexibly, and without judgement, so we are available when any young person reaches out for help,” explained VIP founder Charlie Rigby, whose staff run a freephone confidential support line on 0800 130 3421.

The charity’s work was applauded by Cllr Sue Fennimore, Deputy Leader of H&F Council, who described it as an ‘important’ group addressing ‘a real issue’ in west London, adding: “VIP outreach workers operate outside normal hours and in places such as parks and communal spaces to build relationships with young people who often have chaotic lifestyles.”

Grants awarded

The latest Winter Wellbeing Community Fund awards were made to:

Bloody Good Period – £1,500 towards period products for refugees and asylum-seeking women, and the under 19s in disadvantaged groups.

Harrow Club W10 – £1,500 to deliver hot food to vulnerable children and young people.

SEAPIA – £1,600 towards shopping vouchers for families in Sands End.

The Violence Intervention Project – £5,000 to support families and independent young people at risk of, or involved in, serious youth violence.

The Winter Wellbeing Community Fund, administered for H&F Council by local charity UNITED in H&F, is now working on its next package of support grants.

Click here to find out more about the fund.

[First published by LBHF Council on 24 December 2020]

In only three weeks, a fund set up by Hammersmith & Fulham Council to support the efforts of community groups to help children and families in need has distributed £75,000 in grants.

The Winter Wellbeing Community Fund turns government aid money into grassroots help for those struggling to make ends meet as family budgets are stretched at Christmas.

One programme which has benefited is the weekly food distribution run from Our Lady of Fatima Church in White City by an interfaith partnership.

The Rev Ben Humphries of the Church of St Michael & St George, who helps coordinate, said that on Monday’s regular delivery run people were asked what else they needed.

As a result of assistance from the Winter Wellbeing Community Fund, the volunteers were able to do a second trip to the cash & carry and top up the food parcels with cleaning spray, deodorant, toothpaste, washing-up liquid, soap, tea and coffee.

“It’s also meant we’ve been able to include some seasonal food items such as mince pies and Christmas puddings for around 50 families in and around White City,” said Mr Humphries.

The weekly food run has been going on for years, with volunteers distributing items donated by supermarkets with surpluses, or looming sell-by dates.

The Winter Wellbeing Community Fund has provided more than £9,300 to the project, to buy essential food, and also help those in need pay outstanding utility bills.

Cllr Sue Fennimore, Deputy Leader of H&F Council, said she was pleased that the borough was able to help hundreds of people at a time of year when cash rapidly runs out.

“Winter is going to be tough for many families as they struggle to buy food and pay other bills,” she added. “The Winter Wellbeing Community Fund has allowed us to target extra funding to groups providing essentials to families.”

For Ben Humphries and the volunteers who staff the weekly food share, the extra fund aid has really helped. “We don’t turn anyone away,” he said. “The grant money has meant we can buy those in need sanitary and personal care products too.”

Other community groups and charities benefiting from the council’s wellbeing grant fund have been:

• People Arise Now (£3,630) to provide food and essentials to BAME women, ex-offenders and their families
• Lido Foundation (£10,000) for groceries and support to low-income families from ethnic minorities
• Dad’s House (£5,000) for essentials to single fathers and their children, and those shielding
• Urban Partnership Group (£2,803) to support the Cultural Flavours food distribution service
• Active Successful Engagement (£5,400) to support disadvantaged families with mental health challenges and victims of exploitation
• West London Welcome (£4,800) to provide supermarket vouchers to asylum-seeking families
• Bubble & Squeak (£5,000) to help families and older residents in Old Oak and College Park
• White City Residents’ Association (£3,000) for food parcels
• Hammersmith & Fulham Foodbank (£2,000) to buy supermarket vouchers for struggling families
• Shepherds Bush Families Project (£9,025) for essentials for those in need.

The Winter Wellbeing Community Fund, administered for H&F Council by local charity UNITED in Hammersmith & Fulham, reopens for grant applications in the New Year.

Find out more about the Winter Wellbeing Community Fund here.

[First published  by LBHF Council on 11 December 2020]

A generous grant is allowing a community centre to provide culturally tailored meals to those forced to isolate as a result of the pandemic.

A £1,000 grant from the UNITED in Hammersmith & Fulham charity, working with Hammersmith & Fulham Council, means the Edward Woods community centre is serving up the food that means most to those who need it.

 

It is part of a £5,650 grant share-out to seven community groups… all made possible by the generosity of individuals and businesses who have contributed to UNITED’s appeal fund.

Edward Woods is providing culture-specific flavours to residents in need during the cold winter months; one of three centres within the Urban Partnership Group, working with the Lido Foundation and Nubian Life.

Older people, families and those forced to isolate report that they have found it difficult to locate culturally relevant food parcels, including African-Caribbean and Halal options.

 

The cultural flavours service helps fight food insecurity and ensures local people with particular dietary needs are not missing out.

“It is vital that we support isolating residents with food parcels as the winter cold bites – but it is also important that those meals are tailored to individuals’ needs where possible,” said H&F Deputy Leader Cllr Sue Fennimore.

Savraj Kaur, director of the UNITED charity which raised and distributed more than £100,000 in grants to local frontline services in the early months of the coronavirus crisis, says more help is urgently needed.

“Our winter appeal will assist those who need our help during the coming months,” she said. “We are so grateful for every contribution, whether large or small.”

Donations can be made here:

Donate to the appeal

 

 

The latest grant awards are:

Apricot Wellbeing CIC – £1,000
Running a four-week coaching programme for community leaders supporting those impacted by the pandemic.

Bishop Creighton House – £750
Delivering Christmas hampers to people with learning disabilities and mental health issues.

Breaking Barriers – £1,000
Providing remote one-to-one employment support to refugees.

Edward Woods Community Centre (UPG) – £1,000
Delivering culturally specific food parcels to the elderly, families and to those who are housebound or forced to isolate.

Eritrean Social Community – £400
Providing a health and wellbeing workshop to support Eritrean mothers on low incomes.

For Brian CIC – £1,000
Supporting people living with dementia, their families, and friends on the Old Oak estate.

Linacre Court Tenants’ & Residents’ Association – £500
Providing food to isolated people in Linacre Court.

If you are a community organisation, you can apply for funding here

 

[First published by LBHF Council on 23 November 2020]

More than £8,000 in grants has been sent to local groups responding to the winter Covid-19 lockdown, including support for volunteers supplying reconditioned tablets and laptops to low-income households.

The money has come from the charity UNITED in Hammersmith & Fulham, working in partnership with Hammersmith & Fulham Council, and will help fund frontline community activity in the pandemic.

A mix of generous donations from members of the public and local businesses have made the latest grants possible. But more help is urgently needed to support the neighbourhood groups and volunteers who assist others.

Among the grant receivers is Ready Tech Go – a group which tackles the digital divide by reconditioning donated computers so children in low-income families can access the internet and do homework online.

Tomas Evans, of Ready Tech Go, explained: “Now, more than ever, connection to the online world is essential for wellbeing. This grant means we will be able to connect more people digitally, alleviate feelings of isolation and improve mental health and job prospects.”

The volunteer group also enable anyone who cannot access basic online services to get connected, while also allowing refugees and older people stay in touch with their families.

 

 

Cllr Sue Fennimore, Deputy Leader at H&F Council, said that Ready Tech Go was making a real difference. “It’s a group which is helping bridge the gap to allow isolated and marginalised people gain the benefits that internet access brings. It’s great to see UNITED once again enabling volunteers to give help where it is most needed,” she said.

The full list of groups benefiting from £8,137 of Winter Appeal grant aid are:

Citizens Advice in Hammersmith & Fulham – £1,000
Providing dongles and handsets to volunteer advisers supporting people who are unemployed or self-isolating.

Minaret CC – £1,000
Delivering culturally relevant food parcels to Somali families.

Notting Hill Genesis Housing Association – £140
Buying mobile phone and tablet Sim credit for isolated people in their H&F care homes.

Old Oak Primary School – £997
Supplying mini Christmas hampers to elderly residents, to alleviate loneliness and to check in on them, door to door, while delivering.

People Arise Now – £1,000
Supporting women, ex-offenders and their families via weekly workshops on health and wellbeing, together with phone counselling, video calls and fruit and veg packs.

Ready Tech Go – £1,000
Technological equipment and support to older people, children and families on low incomes who lack digital connection.

RJVN8 Mental Health – £1,000
Funding an extra first call responder and 200 counselling hours for those with mental health needs.

Saint Andrews Fulham Fields Homeless Project – £1,000
Helping homeless people with food cards and takeaway meals, and paying for two gazebos to shelter them while collecting food.

St Pauls’ Hammersmith Church – £1,000
Providing Bags of Blessings in partnership with Bishop Creighton House for those in food poverty, including children from St. Paul’s primary, West London Refugee Centre, clients of St Paul’s money advice centre (Crosslight), and those shielding in the parish.

Donate to the appeal

Savraj Kaur of UNITED thanked those whose donations had made the grants possible, but urged more to give so the funding of frontline groups can continue through the winter.

 

UNITED in Hammersmith & Fulham is delighted to continue supporting Hammersmith BID’s Small Tap Big Change initiative, aiming to combat challenges associated with homelessness exclusively in the borough.

 

Despite some success in housing people on the edge, London’s homelessness crisis has deepened since the beginning of COVID-19. Money will be raised online and by textphone until further notice and go go directly to four local homeless charities: Barons Court Project, Glass Door, St Andrew’s Church and The Upper Room.

 

Beneficiary of the Upper Room during the Pandemic:

“Before lockdown, I was working but not in a permanent job. After lockdown, my agency said they no longer had any work for me. I had no money to pay for food or my room. Thanks to The Upper Room, I now have food. They also helped me to get Universal Credit, which is important for me to keep my room and not become homeless. Universal Credit sent me to the Job Centre, and they sent me on a course to help me get a new job. This is a like a chain of good fortune. After the course, I will have a full-time job working as a maintenance area worker. Thanks to The Upper Room, I am starting a new chapter in my life.”

 

Savraj Kaur, Executive Director of UNITED in Hammersmith & Fulham:

“Our local charities are really concerned about the fate of homeless people this winter, and we as a community can only continue to come together to help them.  We are grateful for Hammersmith BID for launching this project which will leave a legacy for many.”

 

[maxbutton id=”1″ url=”https://hammersmithbid.charitycheckout.co.uk/profile” text=”Quick donate”]

 

Alternatively, text STBC 10 to 70085 to donate £10. Texts cost £10 plus one standard rate message.

 

 

 

Michael Angus, Director at Barons Court Project

“Homelessness can only be solved if the whole community works together. If we can help more people off the streets then the business and local community benefit and together we can live out our mission “to enable everyone to live the life they deserve”. If we can help more people off the streets then the business and local community benefit and together we can live out our mission “to enable everyone to live the life they deserve”.

 

Find out more – or give directly – at the Small tap, big change website.

 

About UNITED in Hammersmith & Fulham

United in Hammersmith & Fulham is a charity that enables activities which bring people, communities and neighbourhoods together to improve people’s lives. Its aim is to support the work of others to build stronger and more inclusive neighbourhoods and communities in the borough, linking those with time, money and skills with those in need.

 

Alternatively, text STBC 10 to 70085 to donate £10. Texts cost £10 plus one standard rate message.

 

 

Published 1 October, 2019.