The Abbey Centre is working hard to support our community during the cost of living crisis, and we’re pleased to see our efforts are being recognised by local leaders and the press.
In recent weeks, we’ve been visited by the leader of the council, Adam Hug, and our local MP Nickie Aiken, who both praised our charity’s work supporting Westminster residents.
We were delighted to be featured in Westminster Extra a couple of weeks ago, and particularly excited to make an appearance on international news when Al Jazeera English came to film a story on the Tory leadership race.
This new recognition is already leading to new partnerships and more support for our charity. We want to say a huge thank you to BentallGreenOak’s Welput team, who selected our charity for support as part of their development of the former House of Frasier site at 105 Victoria Street.
Much of this publicity has focussed on our Community Pantry, one of our most popular projects, which is now providing access to affordable food for hundreds of people every week. Among other things, we also offer free courses to equip people with the skills they need to navigate the current crisis, including our new courses in Money Management, Digital Skills, and Personal Development.
We run a wide range of other free and low-cost activities to help local people live healthy and fulfilling lives. When an issue falls outside our areas of expertise, we work in partnership with other organisations to provide the necessary support to our service users.
We asked our Community Pantry clients what the service means to them, and here’s a selection of their responses:
“I love the Pantry, it has helped me so much. It has changed my life, it shows me that this world still has kind people and people who care about others.”
“The service I have received is second to none. You are all kind, non-judgmental, patient, generous and are simply wonderful human beings. Being able to access this service has literally been a lifesaver to us. I can only pray you will be able to continue to operate so families like mine can have one less thing to worry about.”
“My faith in the human race is being restored, as everyone is there because they want to help, and not judge us by means testing. I am now more optimistic about the future with my high energy levels from eating all the healthy food.”
Demand for our services is increasing and we expect this to continue over the winter months, so please consider supporting our work by donating, volunteering, or fundraising for the Abbey Centre. Please also continue to make use of our services, including our café and room hire service, and help us to spread the word.
Further advice and support on dealing with the cost of living can be found via Westminster City Council, the Mayor of London or the government websites.
1 November 2022
