Well the school summer holidays are now well underway and so is our programme of much needed support, advice and fun activities for Tower Hamlets families facing isolation and food poverty.
We had another fantastic LOVE Summer event which again, wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity and kindness of the Tower Hamlets community, our dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers, our LOVE Summer partners including Boots and Genesis Cinema, and sponsorship and support from WellsFargo.
This week’s theme was Theatre & Entertainment and it certainly proved to be very theatrical and entertaining! The families who came enjoyed the movie screenings and popcorn, and engaging in activities such as making a pop up card version of world famous local music hall, Wilton’s and watching an exciting Paper Theatre production. Each family also got to take home a free family cinema ticket so they can enjoy a movie screening of their choice, courtesy of the great Genesis Cinema team in Stepney Green.
In addition to this, we also had our CPAG Welfare Advisor, Niz there to provide vulnerable families with a ‘benefits health-check’ to ensure that they were on track to get the full support they need and are entitled to.
One parent who attended for the first time said, “it has been a brilliant day. I’m overwhelmed by the food we have been given and the best part was seeing my son playing with new friends”.
Debbie Pemberton, our Enabling Lives Programme Manager and LOVE Summer coordinator, was also encouraged that more families were able to attend this week. She was able to welcome new faces and reach out to vulnerable families to help reduce any feelings of isolation and the financial strain that arises during the school holidays. Debbie said, “it’s good to see parents and children enjoying the activities together and making new friends as this time of year can be quite isolating”.
With the programme now heading for its third week, we are looking forward to the ‘Animals & Nature’ theme – complete with a creepy crawly creatures and farm animals!
Thank you so much once again to all who have donated food, money or your time so that LOVE Summer can be a success. You can get involved and support families facing holiday hunger by texting ‘SUMR03 £3’ to 70070 and donate £3 right now!
More news to come next week…