Countryside’s Communities Fund pledges £7,000 to deliver Christmas hampers to South Acton residents
Countryside, the UK’s leading mixed-tenure developer, has donated £7,000 from its Communities Fund to deliver hundreds of Christmas hampers to residents and their families across the former South Acton Estate.
Members from Acton Gardens LLP, an award-winning joint venture between housing association L&Q and Countryside for the regeneration of the 52-acre West London site, met with volunteers from the local community to assemble the bags at the Acton Gardens Community Centre.
Hampers for families and older residents were packed with a range of items including hot chocolate, coffee, honey, snacks, mince pies and fresh fruit including apples, oranges and even pineapples. Children’s Christmas goody bags filled with sketchpads, activity books, pens, pencils, toys, games and chocolates were also put together.
The bags were distributed by the Acton Gardens team, local volunteers and staff from social enterprise, Cultivate London, by hand – using vans, wheelbarrows and foot power to the following local organisations:
- Berrymede Junior School
- Berrymede Infant School
- South Acton Children’s Centre
- Bollo Brook Youth Club
- United Anglo Caribbean Society
- South Acton Sheltered Schemes
- Housing for Women (refuge accommodation and specialist support for women and their children)
The Countryside Communities Fund has been set up to support local charities and groups, food banks and others providing essential local services in locations where Countryside operates across the country. Since launching the £1m fund in April, it has allocated the full amount across the nation.
Daniel King, Managing Director, Partnerships West London & Thames Valley, commented: “This year has been like no other and we have all faced so many challenges. We hope these hampers will go some way in bringing much-needed festive cheer to residents and their families this Christmas.
“Community is at heart of everything we do and we are proud to be part of such a close-knit and supportive neighbourhood. I have no doubt that we can only get stronger together.”
Darren Parker, Director of Project Management and Development at L&Q, commented: “We’re really pleased to have been able to support a number of families this Christmas with these hampers.
“We’re actively involved in the communities we help build and after such a challenging year, we are so proud of the work the team has done to try and spread some cheer in the local area.”
