Thank you to everyone contributing to the Connected at Christmas crowdfunding campaign which raised an incredible £23,000, exceeding our original target. This enabled us to award grants totalling £54,000 to 33 different groups across Southwark. Their extraordinary work ensured that over 4,000 older or vulnerable residents received vital support over the festive period.

Among other things, the fund enabled the following things to happen:
• 1,476 Christmas hampers, gifts and goody bags delivered to the doors of older/ vulnerable residents
• 1,424 Christmas lunches to older people living alone – also delivered to the door.
• Help to 150 low-income families and 30 individuals so they could purchase festive food and gifts for their family (which otherwise they could not afford).
• An emergency helpline for volunteer carers – many of whom have found the past 9 months particularly tough
• 2 online Christmas parties for over 300 people
• Carol services – online or socially distanced – to reach people isolated/shielding, or just struggling
• And support to the Southwark Group of Tenants Organisation who provided onwards funding to 29 Tenants and Residents Associations in order to reach older and vulnerable residents on housing estates.

The ‘Connected at Christmas’ fund was a collaboration between United St Saviour’s Charity (UStSC), St George the Martyr Charity and Southwark Council. It was also made possible through the support of:
• 340 Spacehive crowd-fund donors, including Womble Bond Dickinson, Smith & Byford Ltd, OCO Ltd, PeckhamPlex, Trowers & Hamlins LLP, Sharpe Pritchard LLP, Southwark Parks & Leisure Team, Goedhuis Wine Merchants and Khd Hair Ltd.
• Southwark News who did an amazing job publicising the appeal to its readers
• St George the Martyr Church which mobilized volunteer chefs and produced over 700 high quality Christmas meals.
• JTRE, the developer of our new almshouse in Southwark Park Road who delivered 182 excellent Christmas lunches to older people across 6 sheltered housing schemes.

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