Today we launch our special summer appeal to help our neighbours fight the cost of living crisis, and if you donate your donation will be doubled at no extra cost to you.

As always, it’s the poorest in our community who are being hardest hit by the rising costs, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing at Bonny Downs. Older people struggling to afford gas and electric. Working adults struggling to put food on the table. Families struggling to afford the clothes and uniforms their growing children need. 

We’re doing all we can at Bonny Downs to help our neighbours fight this cost of living crisis, and you can read more about that in this short article. As as a local charity, we also rely on the generosity of our supporters to help keep our services running, and that’s why we’re asking for your help too.

What makes this appeal different is that, thanks to the support of the National Emergencies Trust, every pound you donate will be DOUBLED at no extra cost to you.

For example, if you give £10, the National Emergencies Trust will match it and we will receive £20. Or if you give £100, we’ll receive £200. You can also claim gift aid on your donation too, if you’re eligible.

If you are in a position to do so, please consider donating to our appeal. If you make a gift today, your donation will be doubled, and your generosity will go TWICE as far this summer!

To receive match funding, the following conditions must be met:

• We must raise funds from at least 25 different supporters within four weeks
• For every donation made, we will receive match funding up to £250. So, if we receive a donation of £250, this will be doubled to £500. If we receive a donation of £500, the first £250 will be matched and we will receive a total of £750.
• Only one donation per supporter will be matched.

If you can’t donate money, we completely understand of course – and you can still help in other ways.

If you can donate a school uniform in good condition, we would be thrilled to give it a new home. We welcome Newham-based school-branded uniforms, or plain uniform items such as trousers, skirts, shorts, polo tops and jumpers, for all genders and ages 5-16. You can bring these along to our families team at The Well Community Centre on Thursdays between 9.30am and 1pm.

Or if you’re able to drop food to our foodbank to help our guests feed their families over the summer holidays, we’d appreciate that too. For details of what and how to donate, please see the image below.

Alternatively, we invite you to sign and share this petition from our partners at the Trussell Trust. It calls for the government urgently to increase benefits in line with the true cost of living, and make a longer-term commitment to ensure everybody can afford to buy essentials. 

However you feel able to contribute, thank you for your support in helping Newham to fight the cost of living crisis!