Lewisham charity helps ease burden on vulnerable families this Christmas

A £10,000 National Lottery Community Fund grant is being used by Voluntary Services Lewisham (VSL) to help vulnerable families over the Christmas period.

The funding will provide food, toys, supermarket vouchers and a Christmas Eve meal for vulnerable individuals and families in the borough.

The charity group has been running the Christmas Project for 50 years, supporting thousands of people in the borough.

Last year the project reached almost 3,000 vulnerable children, adults and older people in Lewisham, an increase of around 500 individuals on the previous year.

Nadia Payne, Programme Operations Manager at Voluntary Services Lewisham, said: ‘There has been a lot of deprivation in Lewisham for many years and the pandemic has made life even tougher for a lot of people. With Lewisham being a Borough of Sanctuary, we expect there will be an even higher demand for the project than usual.

‘Thanks to National Lottery players, this funding has enabled us to bring in additional resources to run the project and allows us to accept all referrals that come through, so we can reach more children and vulnerable people in Lewisham.

‘There are a lot of kids who without this service wouldn’t be receiving any presents this Christmas, and for those families this support is so important. For the older people in the community we support, they appreciate the fact that someone is thinking of them and looking out for them. We work with people who are quite isolated, so receiving something and feeling part of the community is so important.’

Helen Bushell, Senior Head of Regional Funding for London, South East and East of England at the National Lottery Community Fund, added: ‘Thanks to National Lottery players, this vital funding will have a huge impact on people’s lives across Lewisham. This last year has been incredibly challenging for communities and we applaud the volunteers and groups that have been a lifeline to so many. As we all look to the future, we’re excited to see how local groups will use this funding to further support their communities to prosper and thrive.’

Photo by Sandy Millar