Seven local charities to support this Christmas

Ways to give back from gifting to volunteering

The Christmas period is a perfect opportunity to consider supporting local charities that make a real difference to people’s lives.

From volunteering to donations, there are many ways to give to causes that help those in need in the community.

The Kingston Courier has reached out to seven local charities that work hard to support vulnerable individuals and families.

Balance Support CIO

Give the gift of your time.

Balance is a social care charity that was formed in 2013 is looking for volunteers to help across southwest and central London in its work with adults with learning disabilities and mental health support needs.

Balance provides 24-hour support and outreach services in Kingston, supported employment provision in Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster, day care services in Wandsworth and a horticultural therapy service based in Richmond.

Guy Stevenson, CEO of Balance, said: “Social care is undergoing a difficult time at the moment, it’s a really tough time within the care industry. We’re an organisation that’s committed to investing in the people we employ.”

Credit: Guy Stevenson/Balance

Learn English At Home (LEAH)

Volunteer to teach English.

LEAH is a charity that’s been running for 42 years and it provides English language support to refugees, asylum seekers and migrants.

LEAH helps adults whose English-speaking proficiency is such that they can’t access other support.

Volunteers teach via home visits or online classes, allowing people to learn how to communicate and become less isolated here in Kingston.

Abby Holliday, director of LEAH, said: “If LEAH didn’t exist, there would be many hundreds of thousands of people living here in Kingston who would continue to be isolated, marginalised, unable to go out, and unable to integrate within the community.”

LEAH is looking for volunteers to provide this service and donations to allow for volunteer training.

Kingston Bereavement Support (KBS)

Support KBS’s 35th birthday campaign here.

KBS is a free bereavement counselling charity for children, young people and adults in Kingston.

Counsellors volunteer their time and receive additional specialist training when they join the service, helping people come to terms with the impact of the death of someone close to them.

Any donations are warmly received, as well as nominations to include KBS in forthcoming fundraising events.

A person who recently availed of KBS’s services said: “KBS is an essential service for people like me and I have very much appreciated having it available to me.”

EnhanceAble

Shop to support at EnhanceAble’s store on Tolworth Broadway.

EnhanceAble is a Kingston based charity that provides services for adults and children with physical and learning disabilities.

The organisation has existed since the 1960s, and provides day services, respite care services, after-school groups for disabled children and a community café and hub that is run by disabled people for disabled people.

EnhanceAble also gives up their day centre during the evenings on any day of the year where the temperature is forecast to go below zero, to serve as a night shelter for homeless people.

As well as donations, the organisation is always looking for volunteers for the charity shop, the CLICK café and across the whole organisation.

To donate email upuli.fernando@enhanceable.org.

Credit: Leanne Johns/EnhanceAble

Man & Boy

Donate to the Festive Fundraising campaign here.

Man & Boy works with families to try and improve relationships between young boys and the father figure in their lives, from fathers, grandfathers to uncles and more.

Working with families across southwest London and Surrey, Man & Boy organises a weekend wilderness camp and various other activities to get each pairing working together.

The organisation was founded by a former police officer who found that he was having lots of boys come into the custody suites who lacked male role models.

As well as donations, Man & Boy accepts and welcomes volunteers who will have DBS checks and training.

Credit: Jim Clements/Man & Boy

Momentum Children’s Charity

Donate, fundraise, or volunteer.

Operating in London, Surrey and Sussex, Momentum is a charity that supports families of children with cancer or other serious health conditions.

Momentum offers practical and emotional support, counselling, art therapy, music therapy and play therapy for any member of the family.

Momentum relies solely on donations, funding and volunteers.

Emma Searle, the Family Support Manager said: “Especially over the holiday season, it’s a time where nothing stops for those families, we do keep supporting those families across the whole year.”

Credit: Claire Smith/Momentum

The Fircroft Trust

Donate gifts or time.

The Fircroft Trust is over 50 years old and supports those who have mental health struggles.

It was established by a local GP’s wife who was concerned after ‘Care in the Community’ was first introduced and many people were discharged without much money and often nothing to occupy their day.

The organisation offers people a safe and friendly environment with different groups and classes, where they can come to make friends and have emotional support when they need it.

Kay Harris, Chief Executive, said: “We are currently trying to raise money to buy Christmas presents for the people we support as they often don’t receive any. That’s our current push.”

Any small gifts can be dropped off at The Hub (95 Ditton Road, KT6 6RH).

Sensory Garden, Credit: Kay Harris/The Fircroft Trust
+ posts

Leave a Reply

Verified by ExactMetrics