Winter warmth at L&Q community centres

HOMELIFE

February 2024

You may already know that over the past couple of years, we’ve been using our community centres as Warm Hubs. They’re a warm space for anyone who needs them. You can find your nearest warm hub and the times they are open in our recent article.

Our Lewington Community Centre not only operates as a Warm Hub every Friday between 11am to 2pm, but also on a Friday, between 1 and 3pm we hold a food bank. This is open to everyone. The Felix Project provide fresh groceries, vegetables and fruit which is available to anyone who needs it.

We know how important services like this are, so last December, we teamed up with the Felix Project once again to deliver a special winter event bringing surplus food to Lewisham residents.

The event was run by volunteers and residents from the local community with L&Q colleagues. To bring the market to life, The Felix Project supplied the food and two of our Major Works programme partners, Wates and Axis, provided hygiene products and gifts for children.

The Felix Project collected food from local restaurants and supermarkets that couldn't otherwise be sold, including fresh fruit and vegetables, dried food, mince pies and even frozen turkeys.

With the festive music playing, the Lewington Centre filled with the local community who collected crates of food, packages and hand-wrapped children's Christmas presents. The market supported over 70 families.

On the success of the event, one resident who attended said: "This place is amazing. It’s trying to help the community and it does help. Especially with the cost of living." Another resident added: "It is great! It goes a long way. Every little really does count."

If you'd like to access one of our community centres, you can find your nearest centre on our website, and you’ll find cost of living support.