Westminster takes part in Christmas Family Appeal with mission to provide 600 Christmas hampers to local community

Following last year’s successful collection for the Baker Street Quarter Community Toy Appeal, the University of Westminster is taking part in the Christmas Family Appeal, supporting Greenhouse Sports and North Paddington Foodbank in bringing some festive cheer to some of Westminster’s most vulnerable families.

With the support of donations, the fundraiser initiative aims to provide over 600 households with personalised Christmas hampers containing practical items, treats and gifts for people of all backgrounds and interests. As physical donations were not possible this year, the team has set up an online fundraiser, from which donations will be used to purchase food, products and toys for the personalised hampers.

The fundraiser follows in the footsteps of Westminster’s predecessor the Regent Street Polytechnic, which fundraised for its Christmas Dinner Fund every December and provided those in need with provisions for a Christmas dinner. Between 1888 and 1940, the Fund fed over 1 million people.

The North Paddington Food Bank was set up in 2014 by a group of local professionals and residents who had directly experienced or provided support to those experiencing hardship in North Westminster and saw the need for an organisation to provide short-term support. Using financial and food donations from across the community, the food bank works with the mission to provide at least three days-worth of food to a household.

Greenhouse Sports is a charity based in Marylebone which aims to deliver intensive sports coaching and mentoring to help develop the social, thinking, emotional and physical abilities of young people from disadvantaged communities. Their coaches work full-time in secondary schools, sixth form colleges, special education needs schools and in their performance sports clubs, delivering over 50 programmes across London.

Talking about the Christmas Family Appeal, Andy Norris, Head of Culture and Inclusion, said: “Through the challenges of 2020, we have continued to maintain and develop our links within our local communities. Building on the amazing response from colleagues to last year’s Christmas Toy Appeal and Food Donation drive, we are supporting Greenhouse Sports and the North Paddington Foodbank in their work to help bring some light and Christmas cheer to Westminster's most vulnerable families and we will continue to work throughout the year with our local communities to provide what is most valuable to all of us, health, wellbeing and inclusion.” 

Donate by choosing Christmas Family Appeal on the drop down menu at the University of Westminster’s donation page.